The International 2023 is right around the corner. And this time, a total of 20 teams have made it to the finale of the marquee tournament. While 12 teams have made a direct entry in the finals, eight have hedged through the Regional Qualifiers round. The qualification depends on Dota Pro Circuits points aggregated by teams for the entire year.

Dota 2’s The International, alias TI12, has amassed an increased popularity ever since its inception. Moreover, it has become one of the most celebrated championships in the esports space of late.

Speaking of The International’s finalists, Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators were top two teams who qualified with the highest DPC points. Evil Geniuses, Shopify Rebellion, Tundra Esports, Talon Esports, 9Pandas, and Team Spirit made it to the top eight. Interestingly, Team Spirit topped the round in Riyadh Masters.

Meanwhile, Team Spirit, PSG.LGD, Beastcoast, TSM, and BetBoom Team grabbed the last four spots in the top 12. In the Regional Qualifiers round, Azure Ray, Nouns, and Keyd Stars & Thunder Awaken qualified from China, North America and South America regions, respectively.

Virtus.pro and Quest Esports & Entity qualified from the Eastern and Western Europe regions, respectively. Team SMG from Southeast Asia region became the last team to qualify and will be eyeing to make the opportunity count.

Change in format for 2023 edition of The International

This time round, though, there have been changes in the format of The International’s qualification. Valve recently announced the Group Stage, Play-offs, and finally The International as the three stages of championship.

In the final stage, which is The International, the eight surviving teams from the Play-offs will engage in a face off. Out of these eight, four will be a part of the upper bracket and four in the lower bracket. What’s interesting is that the teams in upper bracket will get another chance, if they lose.

The top teams from the upper and lower brackets will then play the Grand Finale. Lastly, the winner will be celebrated as the world champion. The champion team will then be presented with the ‘Aegis of Champions’ trophy. Currently, the trophy is with the defending champions Tundra Esports, who will look to defend their title.