Why did Valve Invite The Specific Dota 2 Teams to The International 2025 – Our Take

Yesterday, Valve announced all of the Dota 2 teams that received a direct invitation for The International 2025. Even though most people expected to see specific names there, others were shocked by the addition of particular clubs. That’s why we at Blix.gg decided to dive deep and see why certain teams got the invitation instead of others.

The International 2025 Direct Invites – The Reasons Why These Clubs Were Chosen

It’s been a while since Valve hosted any big Dota 2 tournament because the company stopped doing it after the end of the DPC. Nevertheless, this does not mean it’s not following the other tournaments because the most recent list of directly invited Dota 2 teams for TI 2025 proves it.

Let’s go through each one and see the reasoning why the team made it to the list.

PARIVISION

The first Dota 2 team we want to start with is PARIVISION. It’s true that this squad was not a force to be reckoned with before, but things have changed. Because of their impressive results, 2025 seems to be a really good year for the Eastern Europeans. 

PARIVISION won ESL One Bangkok 2024, followed by winning ESL One Raleigh 2025. After that, the squad finished 2nd at the PGL Wallachia Season 4, proving it is one of the best in the current meta.

Considering all of these results, it’s not surprising that Valve decided to add the team to The International 2024.

Team Liquid

This was another “no-brainer” in terms of direct invitations. We can write an entire book on why Team Liquid deserves to be here. No one can deny that Liquid has some of the most consistent results in professional Dota 2. The team definitely deserves its direct The International 2025 invitation, and many will agree that it is one of the big favorites to win the competition. 

It is also worth remembering that Team Liquid is the defending champion after winning The International 2024. The squad definitely has a chance to win two consecutive TIs and equalize OG’s record.

Tundra Esports

Like Team Liquid, Tundra is one of the most consistent Western European Dota 2 teams. In fact, a lot of people will agree that it is probably the best in the world right now because it won numerous tournaments in 2024 and 2025.

If we analyze the organization’s performance, we can see that its 2025 results are really impressive. Tundra won the FISSURE Playground 1, BLAST Slam II, and BLAST Slam III. The team also finished 2nd at the PGL Wallachia Season 3, BLAST Slam I, and the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024.

Considering these results, we would be surprised if Tundra Espots did not receive an invitation for this year’s TI.

Team Spirit

Over the last couple of years, Team Spirit has proven itself as one of Eastern Europe’s best teams in Dota 2. Spirit is always one of the favorites in any Dota 2 tournament, and The International is definitely not an exception.

An interesting fact is that Team Spirit is the only directly invited team on the list that has won TI two times so far. It’s safe to say that the roster has a chance to win again, so we are eager to see it in action.

Team Falcons

Following the impressive results in 2024, many people expected Team Falcons to continue its domination in 2025. Although the squad lives up to most people’s expectations, it has yet to win a tournament in 2025. Fortunately, the Falcons proved that they continue to be among the best by winning 2nd place at FISSURE Playground 1 and BLAST Slam III.

Considering the consistent results, fans were not surprised by Valve’s decision to invite the team to The International 2025. 

Gaimin Gladiators

To be honest, the invitation of Gaimin Gladiators surprised a lot of Dota 2 fans. The runners-up for TI13 are usually one of the biggest names in the European Dota 2 scene. However, 2025 has not been that good for the team. In fact, we are yet to see it win a big event, and it does not seem like it will happen anytime soon.

Gaimin Gladiator also recently made a roster change after removing Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov. This is another big hit for one of Western Europe’s biggest names, which is why many people wonder why GG received the direct invitation.

Team Tidebound (All Gamers Global) 

Another surprising direct invite for The International 2025. No one can deny that the Chinese Dota 2 region is not as good as it once was. A lot of teams are struggling to go head-to-head with some of the best from other parts of the world. That’s why many fans were surprised by this team’s invitation.

All Gamers Global is the only Chinese Dota 2 team to receive a direct invite for TI. The team’s roster looks great on paper, but we haven’t had the chance to see it achieve any big results yet. Hopefully, this will change at The International 2025.

BetBoom Team

The last team that received a direct invitation for The International 2025 is BetBoom Team. Some people believe that the squad definitely deserved it, whereas are not sure about it. With that said, no one can deny that the team has had some good results recently, such as winning BLAST Slam I and FISSURE Universe: Episode 4.

Conclusion

The International 2025 will begin several months from now, but before that, we must pay attention to the qualifiers. We will see many interesting teams in action, so make sure to follow us for more details about them.