South America Makes History with Four Teams Qualifying for The International 2023
South America is taking a significant step into the Dota 2 leagues, setting a regional record with four teams securing their spots at The International 2023 in October.
Evil Geniuses and beastcoast, who qualified based on DPC points during the regular season, will be joined by Keyd Stars and Thunder Awaken in Seattle for TI12. This marks the first time that South America will have four teams competing in Dota’s biggest event.
South America has shown consistent growth in competitive Dota over the years, and EG’s acquisition of an entirely new roster at the beginning of the season was just the first sign that 2023 would be a significant year for the region.
EG and beastcoast established themselves as frontrunners early on, despite some challenges faced by beastcoast, including the replacement of a star player mid-season. However, teams like Thunder Awaken presented strong opposition throughout the year. After both EG and beastcoast qualified for TI12 following the final major of the regular season, Valve announced that South America would receive two regional qualifier spots for the event, further highlighting the region’s global prominence.
Keyd Stars, a legacy organization that returned to Dota 2 this year after being absent since 2016, secured their spot at TI12.
Keyd Stars’ lineup consists of regional veterans who had underwhelming performances in the regular season. However, signing former Hokori standout João “4nalog” Giannini and newcomer Gustavo “fcr” Ribeiro proved to be the catalyst behind their success as they finished first in Division II and dominated the SA qualifier bracket to secure their ticket to TI.
In order to secure their invitation, Keyd had to overcome regional favorites Thunder Awaken in the second round. Despite being just one game away from elimination on two separate occasions, Thunder Awaken managed to bounce back in the lower bracket.
This will be Thunder Awaken’s third consecutive appearance at TI, although their roster is entirely different from the one that finished fifth last season. Meanwhile, Keyd Stars will make their debut at TI this season, and it will also be EG’s first appearance at TI as a non-North American team.
With four South American teams competing at TI12, the region beats its previous record set at TI10, where three SA teams—beastcoast, Thunder Predator, and SG esports—participated. TI11 also featured three SA teams—beastcoast, Thunder Awaken, and Hokori.
The group stage matches for TI12 will begin on October 12, while the final two regions, Western Europe and Southeast Asia, are in the process of finishing their qualifiers by August 31.
South America, Dota 2, esports, The International 2023, TI12, Evil Geniuses, beastcoast, Keyd Stars, Thunder Awaken, competitive gaming, regional qualifiers, group stage matches, Western Europe, Southeast Asia