Last updated: Sept. 10, 2025 (post-Elimination Round)
This is our Dota 2 The International 2025 preview, and it includes everything you need to know about the event including its format, dates and schedule, and participating teams. At the bottom of the page you’ll find even more resources on Dota TI14.
Dota 2 has had a strange year where things are very competitive among pro teams, but also rigidly stratified at the very top. Just seven teams have hogged the podium in all of the year’s biggest tournaments, and nobody else has really been able to break through. That makes The International 2025 an interesting event to watch, even from a betting perspective.
🔴 The International 2025 coverage
Sept. 8 – TI14 playoffs preview and predictions
| Event | The International 2025 |
|---|---|
| Start date | September 4, 2025 |
| End date | September 14, 2025 |
| Prize pool | $1.6 million + Bundle sales |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue | Barclays Arena, Hamburg |
The first component of our TI14 preview is the event format. Here we explain how the Dota 2 teams that qualified for the event will progress through The Road to the International (group stage and elimination round) to the grand final in the playoffs stage.
Image credits: Valve via X (@dota2ti)
The International 2025 will use a very different format from what fans have previously seen at the event. Instead of the traditional eight-team round robins or the GSL format, it will use the faux-Swiss style popularized in Counter-Strike. This format has been used in some Dota 2 events in 2025, and has been a staple for official Counter-Strike majors for years now. But unlike in any of these previous tournaments, there’s an extra step between the group stage and playoffs.
Road to the International summary:
Image credits: Valve via X (@dota2ti)
From the group stage, The International 2025 will use an eight-team, double-elimination bracket. Unlike previous installments of The International, no teams will start the playoffs in the lower bracket. That means that competitors don’t have to worry about landing in a surprise best-of-one elimination match, provided they can make it as far as the playoffs.
In summary:
Only The International 2025’s playoffs will play out in front of a crowd. As is typically the case, the group stage will play out behind closed doors.
Despite the wackiness of The International so far, the fundamentals of Dota 2 betting in 2025 remain the same.
16 teams entered TI14 and there were really only a handful of serious contenders. That number dropped further when Gaimin Gladiators was forced to withdraw from the tournament. But now with the group stage and elimination stage done, there are only eight teams left and even fewer contenders remaining.
FALCONS vs TEAM SPIRIT – GRAND FINAL – ESPORTS WORLD CUP 2025 – EWC 2025 DOTA 2
Those contenders are Xtreme Gaming, Parivision, Team Tidebound, and Team Falcons. It’s hard to guess which of those four might be able to run the gamut at this point, especially when upsets saw tournament favorites like Team Spirit and Team Liquid eliminated. Here are the remaining contenders and what they bring to the table.
Two of the biggest favorites to win The International 2025 were sent home in the elimination stage, but two surprise successes earned a direct ticket to the playoffs. The most surprising of that lot was Xtreme Gaming, which had a 4-0 record in the group stage. While Xtreme Gaming was an afterthought entering the tournament, it now finds itself as one of the favorites. While Xtreme Gaming one of the best Dota 2 players of all time, what’s surprising is that it’s also playing with a substitute.
Since Parivision returned to Dota 2 in 2024, it has had one of the most successful teams in the game. A good case can be made that Parivision isn’t actually the second-best Dota 2 team right now, but it’s very difficult to stop this squad when it’s hot. Despite limping into The International after underwhelming results, Parivision is one of the only teams that were favored to win the tournament that have lived up to expectations.
Image credits: PGL
Team Tidebound was pegged as one of the dark horses of TI14 and they’ve shown why. The Chinese superteam went 4-1 in the group stage, beating NAVI, Parivision, Team Liquid, and Team Falcons. That’s a murderer’s row of opponents, but there’s also a good chance that they’re unstoppable at this point.
Team Falcons didn’t look particularly great in the group stage, but it looked downright scary in its elimination match against Team Spirit. Falcons sent the favorites to win TI14 home with a decisive 2-0 victory, and put up a solid showing against both Xtreme Gaming and Team Tidebound in defeat. If Falcons can get through Tidebound in the first round of the playoffs, it could jumpstart the team to a deep run.
While they’ve largely been forgotten about behind the numerous upsets and surprise eliminations of the Road to The International, there are two fringe contenders who remain in the hunt.
If you’re looking to bet on The International 2025 the betting site options available to you is mostly dictated by where you currently reside. If you’re in the US, esports betting must be legalized in your state for you to bet on TI markets. The various gaming commissions of each legal esports betting state must also have authorized bookmakers to serve up The International markets. This is normally done through a published list of approved events, tournament operators etc. Alternatively, you can also sign up to a number of US social sportsbooks to check for TI markets there.
If you’re living in other parts of the world, you’ve got options like GG.BET. This is a site that markets itself as an esports-focused betting site. It offers a longer list of side markets than alternatives that generally focus on traditional sports. Having more lines available gives Dota 2 fans more opportunities to find profit while offering others better options for balancing risk and reward. For The International, GG.Bet is offering a time-restricted bonus pack:
🔴 GG.Bet’s Latest The International bonus
For anyone betting on Dota 2 markets between Sept. 4-10, GG.Bet is offering a tiered “Ice, Fire and Magic” promotion. The bonus pack includes a mix of deposit bonuses, free bets, win boosts and bet insurance. Read more about this GG.Bet bonus here. Check back for updates to this bonus as the event progresses.
Xtreme Gaming has what it takes to win The International 2025.
While our original prediction was for Team Spirit, the event’s favorite is now eliminated. Xtreme Gaming winning would stand as one of the biggest surprises in the history of The International, but this squad has a talented roster that is firing on all cylinders and a wildly underrated coach in Zhang “xiao8” Ning who is pressing all of the right buttons in both preparation and drafting.
While 2025 has been a rough year for the team, the core of this roster was a serious threat in 2024 and looks ready to finally live up to its potential here, even with a substitute in Yap “xNova” Jian Wei.
Featured image credit: Valve
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