Image: Valve Software
Europe has dominated Dota 2's annual world championship tournament for years now; will the region remain the top dogs this year?
More than just crowning Dota 2’s annual world champion, The International 2024 (TI 2024) will also be the stage where the scene’s six regions – Western Europe, Eastern Europe, China, Southeast Asia, North America and South America – determine which is the strongest.
That yearly battle to determine the strongest region in Dota 2 is set to continue from September 4 to 15 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. There are so many questions and narratives surrounding the competition: How is the competition shaping up? Which region will this year’s likely champions hail from? Will a region get its first TI championship this year?
Well, we'll try to answer those questions as we break down what’s at stake for every Dota 2 region at TI 2024:
Will Europe continue dominating?
Team Falcons following their victory at ESL One Birmingham 2024. (Image: Adela Sznajder via ESL)
Europe has dominated the Dota 2 scene for over half a decade now, with teams from either Western Europe or Eastern Europe claiming victory in TI since TI 2017. And while the reigning TI champions, Eastern Europe’s 
Team Spirit, won the championship last year and in 2021, Western European teams have claimed the Aegis of Champions in the four other years.
TI 2024 is looking no different, as the three biggest favourites are all from Europe. The aforementioned Spirit have a good chance of claiming their third title this year, though Western Europe’s 
Team Falcons and 
Gaimin Gladiators are arguably looking like the bigger contenders.
But while all eyes are on the two regions’ big dogs, the rest of their slots are occupied by heavy hitters too. The likes of 
Team Liquid and 
Tundra Esports from Western Europe as well as 
BetBoom Team from Eastern Europe, while not world-beaters on paper, won’t make for surprising champions.
As things stand, Western Europe is the strongest region heading into TI 2024 and is likely where this year’s champions will hail from. All teams from the region should make a deep run in the tournament too, as anything else from the top region would be an embarrassment.
Eastern Europe may be the lesser of the two, but not as much as most would think. Spirit’s recent results haven’t been perfect, but everyone knows how much they level up when it matters the most. A historic third Aegis for them is still a likely possibility. The rest of the field in Eastern Europe isn’t quite up to snuff, though.
To sum it up, Europe should remain the top dogs at TI. The champion should hail from this combined region, and teams from both its East and West sides should occupy most of the Top 8 finishes. But there’s no guarantee, and other regions causing an upheaval is not out of the question.
Can China cause an upset?
Xtreme Gaming's Wang “Ame” Chunyu during The International 2021. (Image: Valve Software)
If there is one region that could upset Europe’s dominance over the scene, it will be China. Before 2017, the Chinese reigned supreme over Dota 2 with three titles under their belts. But since then, the region has been supplanted by the West.
However, that’s not to say that China is no longer a contender. Throughout Europe’s run of dominance, two Chinese teams still finished as runners-up. Last year’s tournament even saw two Chinese representatives in the Top 4, and TI 2023 was when many expected the region to truly fall off.
TI 2024 is looking like it will play out similarly. While many of the old stars aren’t contending this year, a few stalwarts still remain alongside some newbloods – even if China has been experiencing a dearth of new players.
Leading the way for China’s campaign for reclamation will be 
Xtreme Gaming and Wang “Ame” Chunyu, one of the game’s ‘uncrowned kings’ denied his title during Europe’s ongoing run of dominance. Will this finally be Ame's year? Most players’ brains would say ‘no’, but their hearts will defiantly whisper ‘yes’.
G2 x iG also has plenty of recognizable names, but have yet to produce the results one would expect from a star-studded roster. Meanwhile, 
Team Zero produced plenty of upsets in the Chinese regional qualifier to make it to TI 2024 – but recent results suggest they may be out of their depth come September.
Just like last year, China doesn’t seem like it will make a lot of noise heading into TI. But then they had two teams finish in the Top 4. They could do so again this year, and maybe even get over the hump and claim the region’s fourth Aegis. With that said, the Chinese teams are firmly behind their European counterparts in the title race.
The dark horses: Southeast Asia and the Americas
Aurora's Nuengnara "23" Teeramahanon during The International 2022. (Image: Valve Software)
But while the Europeans and the Chinese are squarely in the ring for the battle for this year’s Aegis, the teams from Southeast Asia, North America, and South America are unfortunately on the outside looking in.
North America has one title to its name, won way back in 2015. The Aegis continues to elude Southeast Asia and South America, but they have gotten fairly close before. Southeast Asian teams finished third and fourth in 2013 and 2016, respectively, while South America was in the Top 6 in 2022.
Even with all the hopium I can find, it’s almost guaranteed that those three regions are at best dark horses for the Aegis. It's also emblematic of the state of the Dota 2 pro scenes in those places.
Southeast Asia has been stagnant, no longer producing the breakout stars it once did before. After their surge to competitiveness in 2022, South America has seemingly lost its momentum. North America is on life support, but at least it has 2015 to look back on.
But this is just me being a realist, not a pessimist. Any team from those three regions have the potential to pull off big upsets and make deep runs, but going all the way will be a very, very long shot for them. And it says a lot (of not very good things) about your region if a surprise Top 8 finish is the best you’re hoping for. This delusional Southeast Asian Dota fan humbly apologises for his bluntness.
TI 2024 will feature 16 of the best Dota 2 teams fighting to claim this year’s Aegis of Champions and the lion’s share of a growing $2.25 million prize pool. The tournament will be hosted in the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark and will feature three distinct stages: the Group Stage from September 4 to 5, the Seeding Decider from September 6 to 7, and the Main Event from September 8 to 15.
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