With the thrilling conclusion of the European Qualifiers, all of the 18 teams that will compete at The International 10 in Bucharest Romania are now finalized.
It seems only fitting that the very last team to earn a spot for The International 10 would be the defending and two-time-TI championship team OG.
The Europeans certainly have a flair for thrilling and expectation-defying TI qualifier runs and this year was no exception. It took the full five games jam-packed with mind games, comebacks, unusual picks, clutch plays, and incredible tenacity for them to secure their spot.
With that nail-biting close to the qualifiers, the 18 teams are now set.
Players and fans alike have been waiting for The International for over two years. After being postponed for a whole year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TI was pushed out even further when they encountered some problems with holding it in Sweden. But now, all the ducks are lining up in a row and we're getting ready to follow the trail to The International 10 in Bucharest, Romania.
There have been some incredible storylines in the making.
China will be fielding five teams at the pinnacle of all Dota 2 events. South America will have three teams representing the region. OG will be back to defend their title with a third qualifying run. Clement "Puppey" Ivanov will be the only player to compete in all ten iterations of the event. The prize pool is a staggering $40 million. Quincy Crew will be the first team to make the decision to represent themselves on the big stage. Just to name a few!
Without a doubt The International 10 will be characterized by grit, tenacity, passion, intensity and top caliber gameplay.
The TI10 invited teams
Evil Geniuses
PSG.LGD
Virtus.pro
Quincy Crew
Invictus Gaming
T1
Vici Gaming
Team Secret
Team Aster
Alliance
beastcoast
Thunder Awaken
The TI10 qualified teams
Team Spirit
Fnatic
SG esports
Team Undying
Elephant
OG
The International 10 prize pool
The final total for the TI10 prize pool has clocked in at $40,018,195 when the crowdfunding and Battle Pass purchases ended this past weekend. That is a 2401.14% increase from the original base amount of $1.6 million.
Only 25% of the sales contribute to the prize pool meaning that $153,672,780 has been spent on purchases by fans across the globe.
The previous year, The International 9 prize pool reached $34,330,068 ($32,730,068 added).
The International 10
The International 10 is now expected to take place in October with the group stage matches unfolding October 7 - 10, the playoffs set to kick off on the 12th of the month, and the grand finals scheduled for October 17.
It will be held at the National Arena from Bucharest, Romania —the largest stadium in the capital city, with a capacity of 55,000 seats. Valve’s official announcement gives a small hint for the possibility of having TI10 held with a live audience as well, however, no details were revealed just yet on the specifics or the ticket sales.