For the first year without the DPC system in while, Valve have decided to go with six direct invites for The International 2024.
With the DPC system no longer in place, the question on everyone’s mind was how many teams would get a direct invite to The International 2024 (TI13)? That question has been answered, as Valve have revealed a few days before the qualifiers that six teams will get a direct ticket to the coveted Dota 2 event to fight for the Aegis. The teams that will be going are:
Team Spirit
Xtreme Gaming
Team Falcons
Team Liquid
Gaimin Gladiators
BetBoom Team
The team that clearly deserved a direct invite was Team Falcons. They have been the team of the season so far, and no one can dispute their invitation. Xtreme Gaming and Team Spirit have each won a tournament, not to mention that Team Spirit are the defending champions.
Where it gets slightly tricky is the remaining three, and the answer possibly lies in teams that were runners-up in premier Dota 2 tournaments. Gaimin Gladiators got two second places finishes this season, Team Liquid one and BetBoom Team with two. That is what sealed the deal for them.
Azure Ray did win ESL One Kuala Lumpur, but their roster went through a major change after that, which is why they missed out on a direct invite.
In case you’re wondering how the Road to The International looks like, there is new blog post about it.
But if you want the shortened version, this is what you can expect from now to September-
"For those of you now making plans to spectate or compete in said qualifiers, we've also got some important dates to keep in mind. The Road to The International will officially kick off with Open Qualifiers for all six regions June 3rd to 8th, followed by the Regional Qualifiers as described above.
Once all the initial dust has settled and the tournament field has been filled out, the Road to the International will continue when all sixteen teams meet in Copenhagen. The two-day Group Stage will commence Wednesday, September 4th, immediately followed by the five-day Playoffs, a studio production that will run through Tuesday, September 10th,
The International itself will be held in Copenhagen's Royal Arena, with the top eight teams slated to take the main stage from Friday, September 13th through Sunday, September 15th. Fans hoping to attend in person will be able to purchase tickets starting Monday, June 10th. Set your reminders now, and we'll see you when qualifiers start next Monday, June 3rd."
The fight for the Aegis this year will be in Copenhagen, Denmark. There’s a new Dota 2 patch, the TI13 invites are out, and the qualifiers are about to begin – it seems like TI magic has begun to spread!
