Although Team Secret emerged victorious at the MDL Disneyland Paris Major, four additional teams earned enough points to secure a spot at The International 2019.
To increase the list of qualified teams to eight, LGD Gaming, Fnatic, Team Liquid, and Ninjas in Pyjamas punched their proverbial tickets to TI9 via their respective placings at MDL Disneyland Paris.
The eventual champions, Secret, were the first team this season to earn their TI9 spot, but they were quickly joined by Virtus Pro, Evil Geniuses, and Vici Gaming. And before MDL Disneyland, there were a handful of teams sitting just beyond the point total needed to qualify for TI9. The first of those teams to join the original four was TI8 runners-up, LGD Gaming.
Placing fourth at MDL Disneyland was more than enough to put LGD over the edge in the DPC rankings, although they are still more than 2,000 points behind Vici. With only the EPICENTER Major left on the DPC schedule, it is unlikely that they will make up that ground without a top-three placement.
Fnatic placed poorly in Paris, and were actually one of the first four teams eliminated from the competition. They have done well at previous events this season, however, and needed few points to secure a TI9 berth.
Unlike Fnatic, Liquid had a very disappointing season up to this point, and were eliminated early in each of the last two Majors. They made a deep run in Paris, though, which pushed them up more than 10 spots and into TI9 qualification.
Lastly, Ninjas in Pyjamas became the eighth team to qualify for The International. The team had a very strong showing at the Dota PIT Minor, which they won. Their top six placing in Paris was just enough to get them into the biggest tournament of the year.
Keen Gaming, TNC Predator, EHOME, and defending The International champions OG would be the last four teams in if the season ended today, but the StarLadder Ukraine Minor and EPICENTER Major still remain. Both of those events will have heavy implications on those last four spots.
Closed qualifiers for the EPICENTER Major begin May 15.
