The International, or the Dota 2 World Cup, is the most titled tournament in this discipline. Sponsored by Valve, it has been held annually since 2011 and will soon have its eleventh edition.
If you want to make successful bets on these Dota 2 series, you need to know the ins and outs about the contest. Below we present the information that will help you familiarize yourself with this title.
How Big is the Tournament?
It is considered one of the largest esports championships that attracts hundreds of thousands of competitors and is seen by millions of people online. With the accumulated prize of $45,000,000 in 2022, this event clearly is not a small tournament.
Also, The International is a great competition since it brings together 20 teams from different countries. In terms of audience, the Dota 2 World Cup attracts millions of viewers. For example, the number of simultaneous viewers of the 2021 series exceeded 2,500,000.
As for betting, this competition opens up a wide range of options for gamblers to choose from. To ensure it is true, you can check bets dota 2 variety for The International XI edition.
Format of The International
When it comes to the format of the Dota 2 World Cup, it should be noted that there are four main phases included:
- Invitation
- Group stage
- Playoffs
- Grand Final
Let’s take a look at each of these phases in more detail.
Invitation
Firstly, all the teams should obtain the different previous tournaments to determine which teams qualify for this championship. The scheme is as follows:
- The top twelve qualifying teams based on the Dota Pro Circuit games get invitations to the World Cup.
- The top eight qualifying teams from other regions (CIS, China, Asia, North America, and South America) based on the regional playoffs classification get invitations to the contest.
Therefore, the total number of participating teams is 20.
Group Stage
In this stage, 20 teams are split into two groups. All matches are in a Best of 2. Then, the results are based on the next scheme:
- Top four teams move to the upper bracket of the next phase.
- Bottom team in each team is disqualified.
- Remaining teams move to the lower bracket of the next phase.
Main Event
The next stage is known as the Main Event, where the 16 teams compete against each other:
- Eight playoff teams in both the upper and lower brackets play at the Best of 3.
- Top playoff team in the lower bracket plays at the Best of 1.
- The Grand Final series are the Best of 5.
Where to Watch the Contest?
As in any other popular tournament, this tournament has a great media coverage that includes:
- a group of specialists who analyze each game before and after;
- a group of narrators who are in charge of detailing the event in different languages and for different audiences;
- individual interview sessions of the players playing in the contest.
The championship is mainly broadcast on Twitch, which is one of the main platforms for the live broadcast of major video game competitions. In 2021, this competition peaked at more than 1,700,000 viewers.
What Makes The International So Popular for Bettors?
The International gives bettors plenty of options to wager on their favorite teams or players. Besides, there are other things that make this event so special. They include:
- Audience and media impact: the contest brings together the best Dota 2 teams, which have many followers in terms of fans, most of whom are also bettors.
- Wide range of betting markets: it offers players an opportunity to wager on different bet types. Some of these include:
- Moneyline: winner of the match, winner of the group stage, winner of the playoffs.
- Handicaps: winner of the game within a given advantage in terms of points.
- Totals: the total number of maps in a game that goes over/under the predefined parameter.
- Propositions: the details of a game that don’t affect its outcome (first blood, total numbers of towers destroyed, first team to eliminate Roshan, etc.)
- Easy to find: this tournament is available at all betting sites. Therefore, bettors have no problem searching for a place where to bet.
- Odds quality: virtually all bookmakers charge low odds margins and allow players to stake with high limits for these series.
Overall, The International is good in all aspects. You can either enjoy watching the games or make money betting on the teams or players participating in this event.
