Ahead of the Bali Major’s conclusion, the list of invited teams for The International 2023 has been finalized.
Winning a major is important in theory, but in practice it’s not that big a deal. Much more important is qualifying for The International, an event that has traditionally hoarded more than half of all the money that changes hands each year in Dota 2 esports. Because of that, the big question entering the final major of the season isn’t about who will win. It’s about which fringe teams will qualify and which ones will fall short.
Ahead of the final day of competition, the top 12 teams in the Dota Pro Circuit were decided. Here are all the teams that have qualified for the event, and what comes next.
All teams invited to The International 2023
With the Bali Major close to being finished, the 12 teams that will receive direct invites to The International 2023 have been decided. Invites are decided by the number of qualifying points earned through regional play and majors during the season. Each team is guaranteed an invite unless a sudden roster change is made.
Team | DPC Points | Region |
Team Liquid | 2100* | Europe |
Gaimin Gladiators | 2090* | Europe |
Tundra Esports | 1660* | Europe |
9Pandas | 1496 | CIS |
Evil Geniuses | 1470 | South America |
PSG.LGD | 1284 | China |
Shopify Rebellion | 1170 | North America |
Talon Esports | 1120 | Southeast Asia |
beastcoast | 1040 | South America |
Team Spirit | 1020 | CIS |
TSM | 900 | North America |
BetBoom Team | 760 | CIS |
The final DPC Points tally for Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, and Tundra Esports is not yet decided, as the three teams are competing on the final day of the Bali Major. Two of these teams will have a higher point total than the one listed above but all three are guaranteed an invitation to The International regardless.
Falling just outside of qualification are Execration and Quest Esports. Execration has performed well throughout the year in the Southeast Asian DPC league but failed to register points in any of the three majors. Quest Esports had the opposite story, where it underwhelmed in regional play in the first two tours but qualified for the Bali Major. The team needed to reach the grand finals to earn a TI12 berth, but finished in fourth.
When do the TI12 qualifiers start?
The qualifiers to TI12 run from August 17 to August 31, 2023. Each region will have a set of qualifiers that plays out across five days, starting with China and North America on August 17. The qualifiers wrap up with the end of the Southeast Asian qualifiers on August 31.
Each regional qualifier will include upper and lower-division competitors. Teams are allowed to make roster changes, which will result in a frantic shuffle throughout July.
A long list of prestigious organizations are currently on the outside looking in on qualification. Clement “Puppey” Ivanov’s streak of qualifying for every The International tournament is at risk of being broken after struggling throughout the season. Other notable squads including Nigma Galaxy, OG, Virtus.pro, and Team Aster will be fighting for a spot in the event.
Because only one team can make the cut from each region, it’s guaranteed that some big names will be watching the event from their couch. TI12 begins on October 12, 2023 though Valve has warned that this year will have a scaled-back version of the event.