Dota 2 is one Esports where you can see all sorts of tournaments. Although some have larger prize pools than others, all of the big events attract the game’s best teams and players. This is also true for the most prestigious competition of all – The International.
Also known as TI, this is Valve’s annual event that brings together the best in the world. Up until a few years ago, it was also the world’s biggest Esports event in terms of prize money. In fact, The International 2021 still holds the record with $40M, followed by The International 2019 with $34M and The International 2018 with $25M.
Considering the importance of this Dota 2 tournament, it’s no surprise that every team and player wants to win it. Some have done that several times, but tons of top Dota 2 teams have never won The International. That’s why it is time to look at them all.
Team Secret
Dota 2 fans who follow the game’s professional scene know that Team Secret is one of the biggest names out there. The team has been around for many years and was home to some of the world’s best players. This includes MidOne, Arteezy, ah fu, Puppey, and many others.
Despite the fact that there was a time when Team Secret was the best in the world, the truth is that the squad never won The international. It has always been one of the top contenders, but Puppey and his crew never managed to lift the Aegis. With that said, Secret’s captain (Puppey) has won TI with Natus Vincere.
The closest Team Secret has ever come to winning The International was in 2022. During TI 2022, Secret reached the Grand Final, where it faced Tundra Esports. Sadly, the squad was unable to bring down the powerful WEU powerhouse and lost.
Interestingly, Secret also finished 3rd at The International 2021 and also has 1 fourth place at The International 2019.
LGD
Also known as PSG.LGD or LGD Gaming, the latter is one of China’s best (if not THE best) teams in Dota 2. This squad has been home to all of the best names in China and dominated the international Dota 2 scene for years. Despite that, it remains one of the top Dota 2 teams that have never won The International.
Created in 2009, LGD quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Once Dota 2 arrived, the team was among the first in China to build a strong squad and rip through their competitors. It goes without saying, but LGD has been home to almost all of China’s biggest Dota 2 stars, such as Yao, xiao8, Ame, Maybe, shiro, Emo, y, Py, planet, and much more.
In terms of results, LGD Gaming has won everything except The International. If we analyze the squad’s results, we can see that it finished 3rd at TI 5 and 4th at TI 2017. The Chinese also took 2nd place at TI 2018 and 2021 and third place at The International 2019. In other words, this team has always been one of the best, but it hasn’t managed to snatch the Aegis yet.
Virtus.Pro
Eastern Europe always had a few representatives that were above the rest in terms of results. Even though Virtus.Pro has never won The International; it was the biggest name in Dota 2 in this part of the world for years. Home to players like RAMZESS666 and No[o]ne, VP has numerous trophies under its belt.
If we check VP’s previous results at TI, we can see that it ended in 5th-6th place a total of 4 times. The first one took place in 2015, followed by 2017, 2018 and 2021. Unfortunately, VP has not been able to participate in Dota 2’s most prestigious tournament since then.
Team Falcons
Although some of you will probably wonder why Team Falcons is on the list, we need to remind you that this has been one of the most dominant Dota 2 teams in the game’s history. Yes, it does not have as much experience as other names, but it already achieved incredible results.
At the time of writing, Team Falcons has only participated in one TI and it was in 2024. Although a lot of people expected this squad to dominate and win the event, Cr1t- and the rest ended up finishing 4th. What’s interesting is that Team Falcons ripped through the rest in literally every other competition outside of TI.
Gaimin Gladiators
Gamin Gladiators is another Dota 2 team that has never won The International. Created in 2019, this team does not have the experience of some of the other names on the list. Despite that, it quickly became one of the game’s most recognizable names because it dominated the professional scene.
Even though GG dominated in 2023 and won almost every single top tournament, it wasn’t able to lift the Aegis. Gaming Gladiators came into TI 2023 as the big favorites, but the team failed to defeat Team Spirit in the Grand Final. The CIS squad was better and got a clean 3:0 victory.
Prior to TI 2023, GG also played at The International 2022. Sadly, this tournament was a disaster for them because they were among the first names to be eliminated from the competition (9th-12th place).
Going back to the present day, GG also played at The International 2024. Once again, the squad was among the big favorites to lift the Aegis, but this never happened. The team finished 2nd after losing to Team Liquid in the Grand Final.
Closing Thoughts
There are definitely other names that could have been on the list of top Dota 2 teams that have never won The International. Fnatic, Xtreme Gaming, and even BetBoom Team deserve to be here, but we at Blix.gg have decided to include some of the more intriguing cases.
2025 is finally here, which means we will have another year of The International. Not much is known about the competition yet, but it will be very interesting to see what happens.
