Gaimin Gladiators is not competing at The International 2025 and it seems that something strange is afoot with what was one of the potential contenders for the TI championship.
Over the last three years, Gaimin Gladiators has been one of the most consistently successful teams in Dota 2. Alongside two grand finals appearances at The International, the team won three majors and a number of other prominent tournaments. While 2025 has been a down year for the team, it still managed to earn a direct invitation to The International thanks to a number of top-four finishes.
While expectations weren’t as high for GG heading into the tournament as in recent years, it turns out the team won’t even have the opportunity to participate. This news comes from an official statement made by Valve.
Valve announced that Gaimin Gladiators will not be competing at The International 2025. The company issued a brief statement on the matter on August 22, 2025.
“On Sunday, the Gaimin Gladiators organization informed us that they were withdrawing their team from The International…We are now in the process of finding a suitable replacement team,” Valve said.
The news came as a surprise, as Gaimin Gladiators has been actively competing leading up to it. Valve stated that the organization made this call on August 17, but the team was competing as recently as August 21 in the Fissure Universe Episode 6 tournament. None of the players issued an immediate statement on the matter and there were no outward signs of trouble regarding the organization or the players. Regardless, Valve explicitly stating that it is “finding a suitable replacement team” seemingly closes the door on any appearance by Gaimin Gladiators.
While this is a relatively serious matter, other teams were quick to wisecrack about it on social media. OG and Team Secret were among the first, with both organizations coyly asking for the spot.
Precedent suggests that the opening should go to OG, as OG fell just one match short of qualifying for The International in Gaimin Gladiators’ Western Europe region. It’s uncertain that Valve will follow that precedent, however.
Gaimin Gladiators’ Dota 2 team will not compete at The International 2025 due to an apparent conflict between the players and organization. While Valve did not go in-depth on the situation, it did provide some context by noting that it “learned they were unable to come to an agreement with their organization that would allow them to participate.”
It’s unclear what exactly this sticking point was, and neither the team nor players are required to reveal more than has already been made public. But it does reveal an apparent rift between the players and organization.
Gaimin Gladiators’ current Dota 2 roster includes the following players:
Gaimin Gladiators first entered competitive Dota 2 in 2022 and has had a largely stable roster throughout that time. Odds are good that this is about to change.
UPDATE: In the days since the announcement, Gaimin Gladiators management and the team’s former players and staff have spoken in sometimes vague terms about a disagreement between ownership and the team’s rostered players. The exact details continue to be contested, but what remains clear is that a significant disagreement was had between ownership and players, and it’s unlikely this group of players will represent GG again in the future. They certainly won’t do so at TI 2025.
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