Get your mouse fingers warmed up and your sleep schedules thoroughly ruined. The regional qualifiers have officially wrapped up, the dust has settled, and we finally have the complete list of the 16 teams packing their bags for Shanghai, China.
From August 13 to August 23, the Oriental Sports Center is going to transform into a gladiatorial arena for the biggest Dota 2 event of the year. Valve is putting a cool $1.6 million on the line, and while the groups and exact brackets are still shrouded in mystery, the team sheet alone is already promising pure, unadulterated chaos.
The VIP Lounge: The Seven Direct Invites
Valve looked at seven specific squads this year and decided they didn’t need to sweat through the qualifier trenches. These teams got the golden tickets handed right to them based on sheer dominance.
First up, we have Team Liquid and Team Falcons, two heavyweights that absolutely nobody wants to see on their side of the draft. Joining them from the invite list are Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, 1w Team, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex.
Having Xtreme Gaming playing on home turf in China is going to bring an electric atmosphere to the crowd. These seven teams have had the luxury of kicking back, watching the qualifiers, and analyzing everyone else’s strategies, which is a massive advantage when the tournament kicks off.
The European Bloodbath Qualifiers
If you want to talk about stress, look no further than the Western and Eastern European qualifiers. Europe was granted four slots, and watching those matches was a masterclass in high-stakes Dota.
Team Spirit cruised through to lock down their spot, which should surprise exactly no one given their legendary status. They are joined by Team Vision, a squad that has been turning plenty of heads lately.
The real drama came down to the final weekend, where Nigma Galaxy reminded everyone why you can never count them out, securing a slot alongside the fierce competitors of Huligani. This European contingent looks absolutely terrifying this year.
Around the World in Eighty Chronospheres
The rest of the world had to fight tooth and nail for a very limited number of golden tickets, leading to some brilliant underdog stories and regional clashes.
In China, the home crowd will have two more teams to cheer for alongside Xtreme. Team Resilience and Vici Gaming fought through the local brackets to ensure the hometown fans have plenty of local banners to wave. Over in Southeast Asia, OG managed to navigate a treacherous path to claim the sole representative spot for the region.
Meanwhile, the Americas had a wild ride. In North America, GamerLegion completely dominated the qualifier final to snatch the lonely single ticket allotted to the region. Down in South America, LGD Gaming pulled off their own magic trick to lock down the final spot on the tournament list.
The Warmup Before the Storm
While August feels like it is right around the corner, the pro teams actually have a massive pitstop to make first. Before anyone steps foot in Shanghai, a bunch of these squads are heading over to Paris, France, for the Esports World Cup happening between July 7 and July 19.
Think of it as the ultimate high-stakes rehearsal. Teams are going to show off their new strategies, test out the latest meta changes, and inevitably try to hide their best draft secrets so they don’t give away the game before The International even starts.
It is going to be a wild summer of Dota 2, so stock up on energy drinks and get ready for some world-class gaming.
