(Updated 12.09.25: Additional information from on-site at TI and Team Liquid pop-up stand)
The International 2025 has already been filled with twists and turns as favorites have been eliminated, and new regions surge to prominence – but whether you’re visiting Hamburg this week to see the action live, or watching from home, things have only just begun. Let’s focus on visiting fans for a moment though.
Esports tournaments can be big and confusing places for visitors. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive visitors guide for TI14 giving you all the details of how to get to the arena, where to pick up merchandise, and any extra details you might have missed. So read on and find out just what you can expect in and around the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany this week and weekend.
First things first: What time do you need to be at the Barclays Arena each day? Doors open at 8:00am CEST, and preshow starts at 9.30am, giving you plenty of time to find their seats and soak up the atmosphere. Be warned, on the first day especially, there’s likely to be long lines so an early start is better.
The Opening Ceremony takes place on the first day Sep. 11 at 10:00am. The first match will apparently start at around 10.30am, but we expect it may be a little later.
The full schedule of all the matches is available online or in our playoffs preview here.
Getting into The International 2025 is pretty simple. You should have already secured your ticket through AXS, and you’ll find your digital ticket on your AXS account as well as in your email. For quick entry, we recommend saving your ticket to your phone’s wallet, or a screenshot, so you’ll be able to get inside with just a quick scan.
If you’ve not bought a ticket yet, there appear to be some tickets still available for each of the days, but reportedly the finals day is sold out. These are still purchased online, and the ticket office on-site will direct you to the online ordering system.
As for finding your seat, it’s a first-come-first-serve or general admission system, where you’ll just need to take a spot and try and keep it. There’s only a few reserved seats and these are for pro players and special VIPs. You can come and go during the day, but make sure you scan your ticket when exiting.
Each day attendees will receive special visitors badges. These commemorative TI pins will both be a perfect souvenir, and your chance to get your hands on the coveted Crimson Witness cosmetic.
A Crimson Witness Treasure drops whenever a First Blood happens in-game, so make sure you’re connected before the game starts. The next day, you’ll get a new badge, and a new chance for Crimson Witness Treasures. These can sometimes sell for hundreds of dollars on Steam, so they’re worth the price of admission.
Hamburg reportedly has one of Europe’s most efficient public transport networks. As a result, we’d recommend using the train/S-Bahn as it’s perhaps the easiest way to get to the Barclays Arena.
🚉 Directions
From Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, take the S3 or S21 S-Bahn (toward Elbgaustraße).
Get off at Stellingen (Arena) or Eidelstedt station.
From there, it’s around a 5-10 minute walk to the Arena, and signposted.
In some cases on public transport, extra event-day trains will often run to handle crowds. However, it’s unknown if this will be the case for The International 2025.
In the evening, after the end of the games, trains may be infrequent. As a result, you may need to look into alternative transport options, as listed below.
Beyond the matches themselves, attendees will have the chance to meet some of their favorite players and TI broadcast talent.
Team meet-and-greets will be held inside the arena, with exact times and locations announced onsite throughout the event.
There’s also likely to be a number of attractions in the arena, from photo ops, to the SteelSeries stands and other unique experiences. We’ll share details of the attractions on this page.
Secret Shop TI14. Image Credit: JAXON/Michael Hassall
Of course, no trip to The International 2025 would be complete without a visit to the Secret Shop. Located inside Barclays Arena, near entrance E2, the Secret Shop has both the full array of TI merchandise, and a secret exclusive in-arena items. These include pins, mousepads, and other gear not included on the online Secret Shop page.Stock is limited, so fans eager to secure their piece of TI 2025 history should plan to shop early.
For those arriving in Hamburg before the event, a special Side Shop will be open to the public at MOUZ Esports HQ (Glockengießerwall 1, 20095 Hamburg) from September 9–12. This pop-up location offers a unique line of merchandise not sold at the arena or online, and best of all, you don’t need a tournament ticket to browse.
Secret Side Shop at MOUZ HQ for TI14. Image Credit: JAXON/Michael Hassall
Beyond this, individual teams may operate pop-up merch stands throughout the event. We’ll try and keep track of these and give information as and when they appear.
One that was announced on Thursday (Sep. 11) was Team Liquid, who announced they’d have a pop-up merch stand throughout the event. This merch stand is located at the Bistro Picknick (also mentioned in our food guide below), 10 minutes from the Arena. This is accessible for all fans, even if you don’t currently have access to the arena.
TI14 Team Liquid Merch Stand (Image via Team Liquid)
Additionally, if you’re in Hamburg, but don’t have access to the Barclays Arena for TI14, the MOUZ Esports HQ is hosting Watch Parties from 10:00-18:00 each day.
MOUZ HQ watch party location. Image Credit: JAXON/Michael Hassall
One sometimes overlooked thing at events can be the food. Food and drink are available inside the arena, but can sometimes be pricey. As a result, we recommend exploring the surrounding area. There’s a few bistros and smaller eateries nearby, but for more variety, we suggest heading towards Eimsbüttel. It’s around a 25-30 minute walk and has dozens of restaurants.
Alternatively, walking south towards Groß Flottbek (30-35 minutes walk) will also lead to a variety of cafes and eateries.
Don’t forget to check back for updates!
Featured image credits: Barclays Arena, Anschutz Entertainment Group
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