Valve Unveils New Format for The International 2025, Set for September
- sagarmankar177
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
Valve has officially revealed details for The International 2025, Dota 2’s most prestigious annual tournament, bringing with it a revamped structure designed to heighten competition and viewer engagement.
The event will take place in September 2025, featuring three distinct phases and a reimagined path to the coveted Aegis of Champions.
A Three-Stage Format
This year’s edition introduces a new format that breaks the tournament into three stages:
A Swiss-style group stage
A best-of-three elimination round
The traditional double-elimination main event
These structural changes aim to add more drama and strategic depth while giving fans a more dynamic viewing experience.
Key Dates and Ticket Sales
The International 2025 kicks off with the Road to The International, scheduled for September 4–7, followed by the Main Event from September 11–14.
Valve has already opened ticket sales for in-person attendance, a move likely to trigger high demand from Dota 2’s dedicated fanbase.
Inside the New Format
The action begins with 16 elite teams competing in a Swiss bracket over five rounds of best-of-three matches. The first-round matchups will be seeded randomly, with subsequent pairings based on win-loss records. Here’s how progression works:
Top 3 teams advance directly to the main event.
Bottom 3 teams are eliminated.
Teams ranked 4th to 13th move into the elimination round.
In the elimination round, higher-seeded teams from the Swiss stage will face lower-seeded opponents in best-of-three matchups. Winners proceed to the main event, while losers are knocked out of the tournament.
Once there, the main event returns to its classic double-elimination format, with all matches as best-of-threes—except the grand final, which will be a best-of-five showdown.
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