2-time TI champion confirms he will not compete in qualifiers for Dota 2’s The International 2023

Summer 2023 was packed with high-profile Dota 2 tournaments, and it’s almost time for The International 2023 qualifiers. Though the best teams around the world secured their tickets for the tournament, some legendary names like Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen have yet to throw their hat in the ring. The player has now revealed he doesn’t have plans to play in the qualifiers.

The exchange took place in a ranked match on Aug. 10 where Topson was playing on the same side as Roman “RAMZES666” Kushnarev. RAMZES wished Topson luck in the TI qualifiers, and the two-time champion replied “no quals for me.”

Related: Dota 2’s The International 2023: Location, dates, tickets, and more

Dota 2 fans were already suspecting Old G would drop out of the TI qualifiers because team members, like Sébastien “Ceb” Debs, were signaling they were going to disband after a lackluster DPC season.

Considering Ceb is also a part owner in OG, even making it through the qualifiers could turn out to be a problem for Old G since Valve has a strict rule against entities that own multiple teams.

Despite taking a break during the majority of 2022, Topson returned to play in the qualifiers with T1 and almost made it to TI11 last year. With Topson completely skipping the qualifiers this season, the player might have denied potential offers or may have yet to receive any due to his current living arrangements.

Europe is one of the most stacked regions at the moment, and most competing rosters stabilize toward the end of the season. Traveling to another region outside of Europe just to play in the qualifiers could also have been in the cards for Topson, as he already had an active season in 2023.

But fans have another theory for Topson as well. Earlier in the week, Tundra Esports mid lane player, Leon “Nine” Kirilin, was spotted practicing position four in his ranked matches as Martin “Saksa” Sazdov is speculated to go on a break. This arrangement leaves the mid lane open in Tundra , and two of the most iconic mid laners in Dota 2 history are currently up for grabs, Topson and Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi.

This means that Topson could also have dropped a cheeky hint with his “no quals for me” comment. If he were to join Tundra, Topson would find himself in TI12 with a direct invite unless Valve vetoes the roster change.