We’re days away from the start of The International 2025, TI14 in Hamburg, Germany, and all the teams are locked and ready for the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition. 16 teams from around the globe will clash to discover who is the greatest, and who will lift the Aegis of Champions, the most coveted prize in Dota 2.
But who are the teams that will be battling it come Sep. 4? How has their 2025 season stacked up and how did they make it to The International 2025. Below we’ve run down all the teams at TI14 so you can familiarize yourself with them.
Image credits: Valve
Serbian org, Aurora, has quietly built one of the most competitive rosters in Dota 2 with players that some might consider second tier. Unfortunately, the roster has struggled to secure tournament wins in 2025: TI14 would be their first and only victory of 2025. Beyond that, there’s the narrative of the former Team Spirit players, Myroslav “Mira” Kolpakov, and Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek. They’ll be eager to prove that their past TI victories weren’t just flukes.
This might get mentioned a few times, but 2025 has been one of the most competitive seasons of Dota 2 ever. Every tournament, there’s not just two or three teams in the running to lift the trophy, but six or seven. BetBoom has proven itself the equal of the likes of PARIVISION, Team Liquid, Team Spirit, and more this year. But their consistency is questionable.
BOOM Esports are like the Southeast Asian Dota all-star team, with heavy-hitters like Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla, Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong, and Armel “Armel” Tabios rounding out the lineup. Unfortunately, having the best players in SEA doesn’t always translate to tournament victories. But as a regional powerhouse, this still isn’t a team you want to face late in the Swiss stage when you really need a victory.
The pride of South America, HEROIC, are at TI14 to carry the banner for an entire region. Like BOOM Esports for SEA, this is an all-star lineup with international talent like Adrián “Wisper” Dobles and crowd favorites such as Elvis “Scofield” Peña. HEROIC has a difficult path to victory at TI14, and it starts with huge amounts of farming, and late game coinflip fights. Like many of the smaller regional presences at The International, it’s essential for SA players to play SA Dota.
It doesn’t feel like a TI without Natus Vincere, or one of the other classic EEU/CIS powerhouses like Virtus.pro. In a familiar move for NAVI, the squad promoted its NAVI Junior squad to the starting lineup, although this junior squad has a veteran of its own. Notably, Baqyt “Zayac” Emiljanov, former Dota prodigy himself and now captain and anchor of this young squad. It’s never a good idea to count out young players. After all, what happened at TI10 when a team of young talents with one veteran support took the stage?
The new era of Nigma, with Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi stepping back from the main roster and into the coaching role has transformed a stale team into one that competes at the highest level, claiming podium positions and battling top organizations on equal footing. With Daniel “Ghost” Chan in the carry position, and Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan heading middle, this is a revitalized Nigma Galaxy roster that could pull off victories and recapture some of the old TI magic.
PARIVISION have proved one of the few teams that can compete against the likes of Team Spirit, Team Liquid, and Team Falcons at a consistent level, and just by virtue of that, are highly ranked at TI14. This is a squad of journeymen who are playing at a level few can match. Unfortunately, almost all of those few are competing at The International 2025.
Is Team Falcons the best team never to have won a TI? There’s some Evil Geniuses and Team Secret rosters that could come close, but perhaps no other team has had this amount of resources, time, and talent poured into it only to come away with no Aegis. TI14 is Team Falcons’ chance to show they’re not just another pre-fab super team with all the gear and no idea. Another question will be what happens after TI for the Falcons? A win could see them soar to a legacy, a dynasty. Losing could mean disbanding, given this team will have seen two years without a crucial win.
There’s a temptation to call Team Liquid inconsistent. Their 2025 season has seen them yo-yo between 8th place and 1st, all depending on the tournament. Maybe this is a team that hates travelling? Maybe they only try at PGL events? The reality is this is a boom-or-bust team. They’re a vibe team. And we can only hope the vibes are right at Hamburg. It looks like they could be? Practically a stones throw from their homebase in Utrecht, and looking to repeat at TI, it feels like we’re due for an incredible performance from Team Liquid.
Perhaps the newest organization at TI, Team Nemesis rose from the ashes of the Into The Breach controversy into a full Southeast Asian powerhouse, besting Talon, Kopite, and Tech Free Gaming on their way to Hamburg. Nemesis has a pair of familiar names for SEA fans, Polo “Raven” Fausto and Mc “Mac” Villanueva. But the rest are relative unknowns outside of the region. Their International aspirations hinge on them playing their own style when faced with more dominant and experienced teams. They could flourish or flounder depending on the day.
Momentum is an intangible thing in Dota 2, and winning one of the final LAN events before TI, on home turf in China, has to have given Team Tidebound a boost. Triumphing over regional rivals Xtreme Gaming, and a stacked bracket including PARIVISION, Gaimin Gladiators, Tundra, and BetBoom, this was no cupcake tournament. Still, Tidebound’s performances have not been consistent. They’re only just coming into their own. If the win at Clavision Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi was the start of something special, then we’re in for a shocker at TI14.
Legacy. That’s the only thing on Team Spirit’s mind heading into TI14. This is a group of players who have done it all. Now they’re looking to do something no other team has ever achieved: three TI victories. Speaking at EWC 25, Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov said “I won’t stop until no one can beat my record.” Put another way, he wants to prove he’s the greatest Dota 2 player of all time. And with the likes of Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk and Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov on the roster, he’s likely not the only one.
One of the best Dota teams in the world, playing with a stand-in, and still having a chance at lifting the Aegis. Tundra are almost the forgotten champions of TI. Half their winning lineup is now part of Team Falcons, including the coach. But this is also a team that is always underestimated. Neta “33” Shapira is one of the most dominant offlaners ever, and Martin “Saksa” Sazdov’s presence in-game is almost as large as his IRL towering frame.
The only representative of North American Dota 2, Wildcard has a region’s hopes and dreams on their shoulders. They quite literally destroyed their regional opponents, Shopify Rebellion, who quit Dota 2 outright after failing to qualify for TI14. Lets be frank: Wildcard are going to have to live up to their namesake and play spoiler and create chaos for other teams to stand a chance of competing. But everyone loves underdogs, and we’ll be cheering our lungs out if Wildcard are able to make the cut.
Chinese Teams have surged in the late portion of the year, and while Xtreme Gaming found itself locked in fierce regional conflicts with Team Tidebound for much of the year, they’re shown strong performances against the likes of Aurora gaming and Virtus.pro in 2025. This is a top-five team in the world, but there’s so little room at the top.
Yakutou Brothers are a byproduct of one of the most compelling storylines in The International 2025, as they’re the replacement team for Gaimin Gladiators, who withdrew from TI14 under controversial circumstances. In the wake of internal conflicts with GG, a Chinese team from a region that’s attempting to recapture its former glory will take the stage in Hamburg. Don’t you dare count them out as stand-ins, though: The likes of Zhou “Emo” Yi and Ye “BoBoKa” Zhibiao are storied veterans who are no strangers to TI competition.
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