As the AniMajor wraps up, it’s time to look forward to The International 10 and who has been invited. Here are the twelve teams that have received direct invites to The International 10.
The final Major before The International 10 is coming to a close, and with it, we now know all 12 direct invites to TI10. Before the event, only four teams had secured an invite, thanks to their high Dota Pro Circuit points score. Now with the Semi-finals wrapping up, we have our lineup.
Who has qualified for The International 10?
Before the tournament even began Evil Geniuses, Virtus.pro, Invictus Gaming, and Team Secret, were locked in for TI10. Their performance during the DPC season was more than enough, with all of them scoring 900+ points. However, for the rest of the attendees, it was all up to their AniMajor standings to secure their spot.
At the end of the Wild Card stage, another would join their ranks as PSG.LGD secured the fifth invite. Just escaping Wild Cards was enough to grab this spot of the Chinese team, who have become a staple of The International in recent years. T1 would quickly join them after a sweep of Team Aster during the first day of playoffs. SEA will only have a disappointing two representatives at TI10 with 23savage leading the charge for T1 esports.
As the playoffs went deeper, Quincy Crew, Alliance, Team Aster, and Vici Gaming would also secure their spot. The last two are particularly noteworthy, as with the closed qualifiers also sending a regional representative, China will have five teams at The International.
The final two teams to lock their spot were beastcoast and Thunder Predator. The latter, who didn't even reach the major, were locked in after Team Nigma unfortunately fell in the third round of the lower bracket. South America will have a record three teams at TI10, the most they've ever had, and a huge from the single spot they've been afforded in the past.
A New Rivalry and Narrow Misses
Of particular note from the AniMajor is the fierce rivalry developing between the NA and China regions. Vici Gaming and PSG.LDG have both clashed brutally with Evil Geniuses and Quincy Crew this tournament. With VG eliminating QC in the lower bracket, EG quickly bounced back to avenge their fallen regional rivals. EG now looks destined to face LGD in either the finals or semi-finals of the AniMajor—perhaps a preview of the TI10 grand finals.
But beyond that, the Animajor has meant heartbreak for two regions: Western Europe and Southeast Asia. Team Liquid's defeat in the Group Stage, and Team Nigma's fall from the playoffs, has ensured that Europe's regional qualifier will be a bloodbath. It is wild to think that of Team Liquid, Team Nigma, and OG, at best, two of these teams will miss TI10. At worst, all of these stacks will be absent. As a result, some of the most popular teams in the region, if not globally, will miss The International.
The situation in Southeast Asia is not much better. SEA is left with just one automatic invite after a poor showing from Execration in the Wild Card and inconsistency throughout the regular seasons. For a region that can challenge the best in the world on a good day, this isn't a great look. And in the regional qualifier, it's anyone's guess who will make the cut. The likes of Fnatic, OB Esports x Neon, and TNC Predator will be battling out for just a single spot at TI10.
Of course, these team's chances at TI are even more difficult due to the lack of open qualifiers. Removing the traditional all-comers format to TI means that closed qualifiers genuinely are the last chance these teams will have to get a slice of an over 40 million dollar prize pool.
The AniMajor continues until Sunday, June 13th, with The International Closed Qualifiers starting on June 30th.
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