Valve drops surprise TI13 invites alongside new Dota 2 qualifier shake-up

There seems to be nearly no downtime in the 2024 Dota season right now, with Valve unveiling the teams directly invited to The International 2024 alongside an almost-immediate schedule for the glamor event’s impending qualifiers.

Team Spirit, Xtreme Gaming, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Gaimin Gladiators, and BetBoom Team got direct invitations to TI13, per Valve’s blog post shared on May 27.

What surprised fans was the lack of MENA, which has become a core part of the Dota 2 scene through 2024. ESL’s initiative to introduce a new region was also passed down to other organizers, but it looks like the buck stopped with Valve. All MENA teams, including Team Falcons, will be counted as WEU TI2024 participants.

Here’s a summary of all the slots available at each region’s qualifiers.

Slot breakdowns for Dota 2 regions

Chinese qualifiers

Two slots — Start date: June 9

• Azure Ray, G2.iG, LGD Gaming, Team Bright, Team Zero, and Dark Horse.
• Six TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

North American qualifiers

Two slots — Start date: June 9

• Shopify Rebellion, Nouns, La Correntada.
• Five TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

Eastern European qualifiers

One slot — Start date: June 14

• Natus Vincere, Virtus.pro, 1win, L1GA Team, Night Pulse, Nemiga Gaming, One Move, Yellow Submarine, and 9Pandas.
• Three TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

South American qualifiers

Two slots — Start date: June 14

• HEROIC, beastcoast, BOOM Esports, Midas Club, Infinity, and Leviatán.
• Six TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

Southeast Asian qualifiers

Two slots — Start date: June 19

• Aurora, Blacklist International, Talon Esports, Neon Esports, Execration, Bleed Esports, MANTA Esports, and Salvagation Gaming.
• Four TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

Western European qualifiers

Two slots — Start date: June 19

• Tundra Esports, PSG Quest, OG, Team Secret, Entity, MOUZ, NAVI Junior, Nigma Galaxy, Rest Farmers, and JustBetter.
• Two TBD teams from Open Qualifiers.

Based on the slots and the most recent results, NA also solidified its place as the worst Dota 2 region by officially losing its secondary spot at the next TI. With just 16 teams heading to the premiere event, TI2024 will also be the least crowded since 2016.

In total, combining the qualifiers and direct invites, each Dota 2 region will have the following number of slots at TI2024:

• WEU — Five
• EEU — Three
• China — Three
• SEA — Two
• SA — Two
• NA — One