The International 7 Teams Confirmed
The first six competitors for the biggest esports tournament of the year have been confirmed.
From Aug. 7 to 12, the International 7 will feature teams from Europe, North America, and China. Teams like OG, Team Liquid, and Virtus Pro will represent Europe, while Evil Geniuses is the sole North American team with a direct invite. Invictus Gaming and Newbee will represent China.
Defending Champions Missing
For the first time in the tournament’s history, there won’t be a defending champion at the International 7. The previous champion, Wings Gaming, disbanded due to conflicts within the organization.
Fierce Competition Among Dota 2 Teams
In the past six months, the competition among the top-rated Dota 2 teams has been extremely close. No single team has been dominant in 2017. The only team with multiple event wins this year is Team Liquid, who won the second season of Epicenter on June 11.
Qualifiers and Group Stage
From June 22 to 26, open qualifiers will be held in each region to determine which teams will advance to the main qualifier. The main qualifiers will take place from June 26 to 29, with the winners of the open qualifiers facing off against invited top teams. South American and CIS regions will have separate qualifiers.
In the group stage, 18 teams will compete, with the top three teams from each qualifier joining. Two teams from each group will be eliminated before the playoffs.
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