Get Ready for the Ultimate Dota 2 Showdown!
The highly anticipated International 2023 is just around the corner, bringing together 20 teams from around the world to battle it out in Seattle, U.S. for the prestigious Aegis of Champions. Despite some controversies surrounding the removal of the battle pass and the group stage draw, Dota fans are eagerly awaiting the tournament to see who will be crowned the champion. Before the trophies are handed out, the teams must navigate the Road to the International, which includes a new format for this year’s event.
A New Format for TI 2023
TI 2023 introduces a multi-phase format, departing from the traditional round-robin best-of-two matches. The teams will now be divided into groups of five for Phase One of the Road to The International. Each group will play four round-robin best-of-two matches over two days. At the end of this phase, the fifth-placed team will be eliminated from the tournament. The remaining four teams from each group will move on to a final best-of-three matchup.
In the next phase, the top two teams from each group will face off against the third and fourth-ranked teams from other groups in best-of-three matches. The winners will advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs, while the losers will enter the lower bracket, just one loss away from elimination. The International officially begins after this first playoff weekend, with the opening rounds of the upper and lower brackets taking place from October 20 to 22.
Schedule and Scores
Phase One – Group Stage
All match times are listed in Central U.S. time (CT).
Thursday, Oct. 12
12pm: Group A – Spirit 2-0 9Pandas | EG 0-2 Entity
Group B – Thunder Awaken 0-2 BetBoom
Group C – LGD 2-0 Gaimin
Group D – TSM 0-2 Tundra
2pm: Group A – Spirit 2-0 SMG
Group B – Liquid 1-1 Azure Ray | Thunder Awaken 1-1 Shopify Rebellion
Group C – nouns 1-1 beastcoast
Group D – Tundra 2-0 Talon
4pm: Group A – 9Pandas 1-1 Entity
Group B – Liquid 2-0 BetBoom
Group C – LGD 2-0 nouns | VP 0-2 Gaimin
Group D – Keyd Stars 1-1 PSG Quest
6pm: Group A – Spirit 2-0 Entity | EG 1-1 SMG
Group C – VP 1-1 beastcoast
Group D – Keyd Stars 1-1 Tundra | TSM 2-0 Talon
8pm: Group A – 9Pandas 2-0 SMG
Group B – Shopify Rebellion 0-2 Liquid | Azure Ray 2-0 Thunder Awaken
Group C – Gaimin 1-1 nouns
Group D – TSM 1-1 PSG Quest
Friday, Oct. 13
12pm: Group A – Spirit 2-0 EG
Group B – Shopify Rebellion 0-2 BetBoom
Group C – LGD 2-0 beastcoast
Group D – Keyd Stars 2-0 Talon | Tundra 2-0 PSG Quest
2pm: Group A – Entity 1-1 SMG
Group B – Liquid 2-0 Thunder Awaken | Shopify Rebellion 1-1 Azure Ray
Group C – LGD 1-1 VP
Group D – Keyd Stars 1-1 TSM
4pm: Group A – EG 1-1 9Pandas
Group B – BetBoom 2-0 Azure Ray
Group C – VP 1-1 nouns | Gaimin 2-0 beastcoast
Group D – Talon 2-0 PSG Quest
6pm: Tiebreakers Group A – EG 2-0 SMG
Phase Two – Qualifying Series
Saturday, Oct. 14
12pm: Spirit 2-0 Shopify Rebellion
3pm: TSM 0-2 VP
6pm: Liquid 1-0 EG is LIVE
9pm: Gaimin vs. Talon
Sunday, Oct. 15
12pm: LGD vs. Keyd Stars
3pm: BetBoom vs. 9Pandas
6pm: Tundra vs. nouns
9pm: Entity vs. Azure Ray
How to Watch the Road to The International
Valve will be streaming TI 2023 matches on their YouTube, Twitch, and Steam channels. They will utilize multiple streams to cover the group stage before switching to the main channel for the playoffs. Official casts in Chinese, Russian, and Spanish languages will also be available. Check out the full list of streams provided by Valve, and don’t forget to join watch parties hosted by streamers like Gorgc.
This article will be updated throughout Dota 2’s Road to The International.
Source: DOTESPORTS
