DOTA 2: THE INTERNATIONAL 10 GROUPS REVEALED BY VALVE
The 10th edition of “The International” will return to the European zone in Bucharest, Romania after an 11-year absence, with Germany hosting the last International in 2011. The latter, known as the “TI,” was an annual event until it was cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, which forced every Esports initiative to transition to an online format.
We are approximately 12 hours away from the start of the Ti10 Group Stage, with Dota2 revealing the Groups earlier today on their blog website. The eighteen teams have been divided into two groups, A and B, and will compete in a round-robin format. The top four teams from each group will be placed in the main event’s winner’s bracket, while the teams finishing 5th-8th will be placed in the event’s lower bracket. The bottom-placed team would eventually drop out of contention.
Here are the two groups determined by Valve:
| Group A |
| Alliance |
| Evil Geniuses |
| Invictus Gaming |
| OG |
| T1 |
| Team Aster |
| Team Undying |
| Thunder Predator |
| Virtus.pro |
| Group B |
| beastcoast |
| Elephant |
| Fnatic |
| PSG.LSD |
| Quincy Crew |
| SG Esports |
| Team Secret |
| Team Spirit |
| Vici Gaming |
Defending Champions OG will face Alliance in their opener, this time with two new members Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan and Martin “Saksa” Sazdov, after Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka and Anatham “ana” Pham parted ways, the former shortly after winning Ti9 and the ana in June 2021. OG, along with their counterparts, have been seeded in Group A. EG mentioned that there is some history between them both and that it would be a fun match to watch as SumaiL takes over his former teammates.
The following are the opening matchups, as determined by the game developers. According to the round-robin format, each team in either group would play multiple games on the same day.
GROUP A MATCH-UPS
October 7, 12:30 PM IST
- EG Vs Team Aster
- Invictus Gaming Vs T1
- Virtus.pro Vs Team Undying
- OG Vs Alliance
GROUP B MATCH-UPS
October 7, 14:30 PM IST
- Team Secret Vs Team Spirit
- PSG.LGD Vs Quincy Crew
- Elephant vs beastoast
- VG Vs Fnatic
GROUP A ROUND 2
- Invictus Gaming Vs Team Undying
- OG Vs TNC Predator
- Virtus.pro Vs Alliance
- EG Vs T1
GROUP B ROUND 2
- PSG.LGD Vs Team Spirit
- Elephant Vs Team Fnatic
- VG Vs SG Esports4. Team Secret Vs beastcoast
GROUP A ROUND 3
- EG Vs Invictus Gaming
- Virtus.pro Vs OG
- Team Aster Vs Team Undying
- Alliance Vs TNC Predator
Valve issued a refund for ticket sales earlier this week, citing a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Bucharest, Romania, as they were forced to hold a crowd-free tournament and decided to accommodate only the players, talent, and either staff members.
The Group stage will take place from October 7 to 10, followed by the main event, which will take place from October 12 to 17.