Developed by Valve, Dota 2 is a very popular multiplayer online battle arena video game that first launched in 2013.

It has since gone on to become one of the most sought-after eSports games in the world and its biggest tournament of the year known as The International 2023 is all set to get underway on October 12 from Seattle in America.

The upcoming tournament will be the 12th of The International, which is a culmination of a long Dota Pro Circuit season that had three tours, all of which led to Major events.

As many as 20 teams will be participating in The International 2023 - 12 invited as well as eight qualified - and they will compete across three different stages to win the coveted prize. 

Here’s a close look at the various dates, format and schedule for the different stages of The International 2023.

The International 2023: Dota 2 schedule, dates, and format

Stage 

Dates

Venue

Group Stage

October 12-15

TBA

Playoffs

October 20-22

Seattle Convention Center’s Summit

Finals

October 27-29

Climate Pledge Arena

The International 2023 will begin with the group stage in two phases from October 12 to 15. The first phase will witness the 20 teams being divided into four groups of five each. 

In the first phase of the group stage, these teams will face each other once in a best-of-two match with the bottom side at the end of all the games being eliminated from the competition. 

In Phase 2 of the group stage in the International 2023, the 16 remaining participants will go head-to-head the ascertain the seeding for the Playoffs. In this stage of Phase 2, the top two sides from each group will be paired with either the third or fourth-placed from another group.

Moving on the the Playoffs - which will take place from October 20 to 22 - the remaining 16 teams will clash in a double-elimination bracket with eight sides starting in the upper bracket while the rest will be in the lower bracket.

All matches in this stage of the Playoffs will be in a best-of-three game. The Playoffs which will eventually culminate with the Grand Finals from October 27-29 shall take place in a best-of-three match.

The International 2023: Dota 2 teams

  • Team Liquid (Invited)
  • Gaimin Gladiators (Invited)
  • Tundra Esports (Invited)
  • 9Pandas (Invited)
  • Evil Geniuses (Invited)
  • LGD Gaming (Invited)
  • Shopify Rebellion (Invited)
  • Talon Esports (Invited)
  • beastcoast (Invited)
  • Team Spirit (Invited)
  • TSM (Invited)
  • BetBoom (Invited) 
  • Nouns (Qualified)
  • Keyd Stars (Qualified)
  • Thunder Awaken (Qualified)
  • Virtus.pro (Qualified)
  • Entity (Qualified)
  • Quest (Qualified)
  • Azure Ray (Qualified)
  • Team SMG (Qualified)

How to watch The International (TI) 2023?

The International 2023 will be live streamed on the official YouTube and Twitch channels of Dota 2. 

Photo credit: Alamy