Dota 2’s The International 2025 format and ticket date confirmed

While not nearly as popular as its Riot Games counterpart, Dota 2 is nevertheless extremely beloved, with a dedicated and vast player base. With Valve at its forefront, it’s only natural the game will get multiple esports events, though few can match up to the level of finesse and excitement fans expect from The International.

Valve is making significant changes to The International 2025 ^[1], Dota 2’s premier tournament, to ensure that “every single match has stakes.” The event will feature a revamped Swiss-format Group Stage, a Special Elimination Round, and adjustments to Playoff seeding. We thought we should go through all of these changes to ensure you know exactly what to expect from the upcoming tournament.

So, if you’re a fellow Dota 2 enthusiast waiting for The International, then keep reading because here’s how the 2025 format will work.

Dota 2 The International 2025 venue and format

TI 2025 will take place from September 4 to 14 in Hamburg, Germany, with the Playoffs hosted at the Barclays Arena. As in previous years, the tournament will be split into two parts: The Road to The International and The International proper.

The Road to The International (September 4-7)

• Features a 16-team Swiss-format Group Stage with best-of-three matches.
• Teams will only compete against opponents with the same record (e.g., a 2-0 team will play another 2-0 team).
• Four wins secure a Playoff spot, while four losses result in elimination.
• Three teams will advance directly to the Playoffs, while three will be eliminated.

The remaining 10 teams will compete in the Special Elimination Round, where higher-seeded teams face lower-seeded ones. Winners move on to the Playoffs, while the losers are eliminated. Eight teams in total will advance to The International proper.

The International Proper (September 11-14)

• The Playoffs will continue with the familiar double-elimination format.
• Unlike previous editions, all Playoff teams will start in the upper bracket—no lower bracket placements from the start.
• Best-of-three matches will be played throughout, except for the Grand Finals, which will be a best-of-five to determine the Aegis of Champions winner.

Valve’s changes aim to improve competitive integrity, ensuring that every match matters. The company acknowledged issues in past TIs where some round-robin matches had no real impact and designed the new format to avoid similar problems.

The International 2025 tickets available from April 15

Tickets for TI 2025 will be available on AXS starting at 10 AM CEST on April 15. Single-day and multi-day bundle options will be available, though pricing details have yet to be announced.

For reference, TI 2024 tickets ranged from $180 to $300 per day, with two-day bundles at $400-$512 and three-day bundles priced at $686. Valve has yet to confirm if similar pricing will apply for this year’s event.

References

1. [1] "The International 2025 announcement". www.dota2.com. Retrieved April 03, 2025