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Popularly known as the TI, The International still gets a real buzz as the most eminent Esports tournament on the Dota Pro Circuit. The tournament is organized by Valve and has been running since 2011, before the release of Dota 2.
Over the years, the International has grown monetarily, and eight teams have emerged to lift the Vaunted Aegis of championships. To learn more about Dota 2, the International history, the teams that have won and the prize pools, continue reading.
The Teams That Have Won The International Over The Years
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see the teams that have won the International tournaments since 2011 to date.
The International 2011 Winner: Natus Vincere
The International 2011 tournament took place in Cologne, Germany. Natus Vincere won the match after defeating EHOME 3-1. The team walked away with a $ 1,000,000 grand prize as the prize pool was $ 1,600,000. Clement Ivanov, the professional Dota 2 veteran, commonly known as “Puppey”, is one of the players that played for Natus Vincere back in 2011.
The International 2012 Winner: Invictus Gaming
With the tournament held in Seattle, Washington, Invictus Gaming battled against Natus Vincere and emerged winners with a commanding victory of 3-1. The prize pool for The International 2012 tournament was $ 1,600,000. Invictus Gaming did themselves justice by taking home a grand prize of $ 1,000,000 after proving to their opponents Natus Vincere that they were a strong and well-braced team.
The International 2013 Winner: Alliance
Alliance is the third team on the list to have won the International 2013 championship. During the tournament, Alliance was battling with Na’Vi. Alliance did their best and defeated Na’Vi with the final result of 3-1. It was at this time that Dota 2 became so popular all over the world, all thanks to Alliance. The team took home a grand prize of $ 1,437,190 from the tournament’s pool prize of $ 2,874,380.
The International 2014 Winner: Newbee
After the most thrilling and heated grand final match in 2013 that led to Dota 2’s and The International increase in popularity, the tournament was moved to KeyArena, Seattle, Washington. Newbee is said to have won against Vici Gaming with a 3-1 score. Newbee pocketed a grand prize of $ 5,025,029 from the tournament’s pool prize of $ 10,923,977.
The International 2015 Winner: Evil Geniuses
The International fifth tournament was held in Seattle, where Evil Geniuses and the Chinese Squad (CDEC Gaming) played against each other. Evil Geniuses emerged as the winner with a score of 3, while CDEC Gaming had a score of 1. The grand prize won by Evil Geniuses was $ 6,634,661, and the pool prize for this tournament was $ 18,429,613.
The International 2016 Winner: Wings Gaming
With the International tournament being held at KeyArena for the third year in a row, TI6 had Wings Gaming competing with Digital Chaos. Wings Gaming put their best foot forward and emerged victorious with a commanding win of 3-1. Wing took home a $ 9,139,002 grand prize from the tournament’s pool prize of $ 20,770,460 which seems to have increased from the previous year’s pool prize.
The international 2017 Winner: Team Liquid
With the change in the number of participating teams, the International 2017 was held in Seattle, where the Liquid team managed to be in the finals with Newbee. Team Liquid stole the show with a stirring win after sweeping Newbee 3-0. Liquid won a grand prize of $ 10,862,683 from the tournament pool prize of $ 24,787,916.
The International 2018 Winner: OG
The International 2018 was held in Vancouver, where they showcased Valve’s new point-based system and decided which teams would proceed to TI8. In the most famous Dota 2 Cinderella story, a complete underdog team OG defeated PSG.LGD and won a grand prize of $ 11,234,158 from the pool prize of $ 25,532,177. The bookmakers had OG placed at 3.7% chance of winning. In other words, whoever believed in N0tail’s team and placed a Dota 2 bet on OG won their initial stake multiplied by 27 times.
The International 2019 Winner: OG
OG did its magic by winning two championships in a row. Valve had no choice but to crown this team for its back-to-back victory. The OG team played with Liquid in the grand final and won with a score of 3-1. The team received a grand prize of $ 15,620,181 from a massive prize pool of $ 34,330,068.
The international 2021 Winner: Team Spirit
Due to the Covid 19 Global pandemic, The International took a break in 2020 and resumed in 2021. The tournament was held in Bucharest, where Team Spirit won the Aegis of the immortal after defeating PSG.LG in the finals. The team was awarded a $ 18,208,300 grand prize. The tournament pool prize for 2021 was $ 40,000,000 and thus became the largest pool prize in sports history.
Conclusion
Dota 2 The International history is as discussed. Every team that has won in any match since the beginning has been rewarded with a grand prize, and some wins remain indelible to date.
