The International 2023 is near the corner and Valve has announced a major change to the format and schedule of the most significant event of Dota 2.
The event will take place over three weeks featuring 20 teams and an undisclosed amount of prize pool.
The tournament will now be divided into two distinct phases. The Group Stage and Playoffs will be under The Road to The International and the Playoffs between eight top teams will be called The International.
When is The International 2023?
All the excitement before The International itself will start with the Group Stage on October 12 until October 15. There will be a four-day break before the Playoffs start on October 20. The Upper Bracket and the Lower Bracket will take place until October 22.
After another four-day break, The International will commence on the last weekend of October starting on October 27 until the Grand Final on October 29.
The Road To The International – Group Stage
Phase One: October 12 -13
Phase Two: October 14 – 15
The Road To The International – Playoffs
Upper Bracket: October 20
Lower Bracket: October 21 – 22
The International
Upper and Lower Bracket: October 27 – 28
Grand Final: October 29
What is the new format for The International 2023?
As per usual, The International will go through a group stage and a playoff. However, the format has changed to make matches more significant and to make it easier for the fans to follow along.
The Road To The International – Group Stage format
The Group Stage will now be divided into two phases. The first phase will feature four groups of five teams. The teams will play in a Round Robin with best-of-two (Bo2) matches.
At the end of the first phase of the Group Stage, the teams at the bottom of their group will be eliminated. The rest of the teams will proceed to the second phase of the Group Stage.
In the second phase, sixteen teams will go in best-of-three head-to-head matches to determine their bracket placement in the Playoffs. The top two teams from each group will be going against the 3rd and 4th teams of another group.
The Road To The International – Playoffs format
The sixteen teams will proceed to the double-elimination Playoffs, where eight teams go to the Upper Bracket and another eight teams will face elimination matches in the Lower Bracket. This year, all the matches for the Playoffs will be a best-of-three (Bo3).
The International format
The main event will feature the top eight teams of The International. The event will continue the Playoffs bracket, ending with a best-of-five (Bo5) Grand Final on the last day of the event.
Where will The International 2023 take place?
Previously, Valve announced the return of The International to Seattle, USA. The event will be held at The Seattle Convention Center’s Summit for the Playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Main Event of The International will take place at Climate Pledge Arena. The multi-purpose indoor arena can house up to 17,000 people.
When can you purchase tickets for TI12?
As of now, Valve has given a vague timeline on when we can expect the ticket sale. The tickets are expected to go on sale in the second half of August.
Stay tuned to Gamelevate for more Dota 2 and esports news.
