DOTA 2

News

Eight teams will skip the qualifiers and head straight to the TI 2025 main event.

We’re truly in Dota 2’s The International season with Valve today revealing the eight squads that have earned a direct invite to the MOBA’s pinnacle tournament. Team Liquid, PARIVISION, BetBoom (styled as BB Team), Tidebound, Gaimin Gladiators, Team Spirit, Team Falcons, and Tundra Esports round out the direct invites to TI 2025, most of which hail from Europe.

DOTA 2

Valve also announced the dates for each subregional qualifier for TI 2025, with every qualified team for the Hamburg event determined by June 17.

Direct invites expanded to eight, but some big names made to qualify through opens

Valve extended invitations to the world’s top eight Dota 2 squads on May 14, announcing the teams via ablog post. The list is solid for the most part with recent LAN champsPARIVISION,TundraandLiquidall heading straight to the main event.

Falcons and BetBoom have been a consistent forces throughout 2025, and while Spirit has been shaky sincePGL Wallachia Season 3, their early season form and runner-up performance atESL One Raleighmakes them more than worthy of an invite.

TI 2025 direct invites, Road to TI qualifier dates announced cover image

There’s been some surprise to Tidebound’s invite. The Chinese squad’s form has been spotty of late, but without their presence, the entire list would have been comprised of teams based in West or East Europe.

Guides

Dota 2 The International 2025: Dates, location, teams, tickets, and more

Everything you need to know about TI 2025 in one place.

Nicholas Taifalos

Valve has also revealed the dates for each region’s closed qualifier and the final slot distribution. Only one Eastern European slot is up for grabs with the likes of Aurora, NaVi, and Virtus.pro fighting the region’s best in early June.

Two slots are available for those who missed out in Western Europe, with Nigma Galaxy, OG, and MOUZ headlining the closed qualifier invite list. For Team Secret and Clement “Puppey” Ivanov fans, it’s looking highly unlikely the team will make it to TI 2025; assuming they can put a squad together in time, they’ll need to fight through the opens to make it.

Your eight direct invites to TI 2025. (Image via Valve)

Below is a list of the dates of each region’s TI 2025 closed qualifier, the date it’ll take place, and the invited teams:

Exact open qualifier dates for each region are yet to be determined, but Valve has penned in May 31 as the start date with all open qualifiers wrapped by June 5.

Dota 2 The International 2025: Dates, location, teams, tickets, and more preview image

Full details about TI 2025 can be found in ourmain explainerincluding event format and how to buy tickets to TI, held in Hamburg, Germany.

game icon

game icon

game icon

game icon