The International 2023 (TI12) regional qualifiers will end this week with an epic battle in the most staked region.
Western European teams are fighting from August 27 to 31 for two tickets to Seattle, but given how well the region performed through the entire year and how many fell short of a direct invite via Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points, no matter how many slots would have been given to WEU, it feels like it wouldn’t have been sufficient.
This year’s regionals feature the likes of Team Secret, OG, Nigma Galaxy, Quest Esports, Entity, Alliance and a handful of stacks that can easily deliver some big upsets. But even in a field with so many worthy warriors, there are a few who stand out as clear favourites at one of the two slots.
The International 2023 Regional Qualifiers: WEU
All teams that participated in the final tour of the current DPC season that aren’t qualified for The International 2023 by finishing top 12 in DPC rankings are eligible to participate provided that they did not replace more than two players from their final tour roster.
Teams
- OG
- Quest Esports
- Nigma Galaxy
- Team Secret
- Luna Galaxy
- Alliance
- Ancient Tribe
- Into The Breach
- Level Up
- Entity
- KZ Team
The International 2023 WEU regional qualifier front runners
Team Secret had the biggest fallen-from-grace of all teams this year. From runners-up at the previous TI edition to being relegated to Division II twice this year, Secret has spent the entire DPC year to figure out how to fix the issues. Their downfall happened straight after TI11, when Michał "Nisha" Jankowski left for Team Liquid. Following his departure, Secret swapped two mid laners until deciding to import two players from Southeast Asia.
With Armel "Armel" Tabios in the mid lane, Secret promoted from Division II to Division I in the second tour of the DPC, but they also relegated back to Division II I in the last tour.
Saieful "Fbz" Ilham was the final puzzle piece. He came on loan from BOOM Esports at the beginning of June and got to play with WEU outfit only at DreamLeague and Riyadh Masters, but with no faltering results.
For both SEA players, the WEU regional qualifiers for TI12 is where they need to shine to keep Clement "Puppey" Ivanov’s TI record alive.
Much like Secret, OG spent nearly the entire season dealing with roster issues, but for a very different reason than their competitors.
After the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, OG, who have two Russian players and a Ukrainian on their roster, had faced visa nightmares for all the majors they qualified for. On top of that, at the beginning of the final DPC tour, Tommy "Taiga" Le needed a mental health break, and OG had to play with different standin in four of their series. Eventually, when it became clear that the only road to TI12 would be via regional qualifiers, both Evgenii "Chu" Makarov and Mikhail "Misha" Agatovmoved to the coaching seats while eventually, the team also parted ways with Taiga.
For this year’s qualifiers, OG needed Sébastien "Ceb" Debs to postpone his retirement once again and make a full commitment to the team.
Ceb, who OG themselves call “the most retired played in Dota 2 history,” is now taking another last ride and fights from the support position to take OG to The International stage.
Quest Esports are without a doubt the biggest surprise of the DPC year. They started the season in Division II under the Ooredoo Thunders banner and had a constant growth up to the point where they made it to the last major of the year. They were a series away at the Bali Major from securing a spot at TI12 via DPC points, but they couldn’t clinch it.
In Bali, the former Ooredoo Thunders were already signed by Quest Esports and had made a roster change that seemed to have unlooked their full potential. It was Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf who came on loan from Nigma to play with them from the offlane.
However, the incredible success was followed by a convoluted discussion around loan terms, contract renewal and salary negotiations. It all ended with ATF not staying for the regional qualifiers and with Quest having to look for another offlane player.
Mere days before the WEU regional battle, Quest announced Entity’s former player, Tobias "Tobi" Buchner, to have joined their ranks, and with him as the final puzzle piece, the team is already two series away from seeing their dream come true.
No matter who claims the final two slots for The International 2023, some of the fans will end the season with their hearts shattered. The WEU regional qualifier is bound to deliver a breathtaking battle so, make sure to catch all action live at twitch.tv/pgl_dota2.
The International 2023 Teams
(DPC Rank #1) WEU
(DPC Rank #2) WEU
(DPC Rank #3) WEU
(DPC Rank #4) EEU
(DPC Rank #5) SA
(DPC Rank #6) CN
(DPC Rank #7) NA
(DPC Rank #8) SEA
(DPC Rank #9) SA
(DPC Rank #10) EEU
(DPC Rank #11) NA
(DPC Rank #12) EEU
(Regional Qualifier) CN
(Regional Qualifier) NA
(Regional Qualifier) EEU
(Regional Qualifier) SA
(Regional Qualifier) SA
TBD (Regional Qualifier) SEA
TBD (Regional Qualifier) WEU
TBD (Regional Qualifier) WEU
The International 2023
The International returns to the US after four editions held around the world. TI7 was the last edition hosted by the Key Arena in Seattle, where Team Liquid lifted the Aegis of Champions. From there on, each year TI went to different parts of the globe. Key Arena, which now is Climate Pledge arena from Seattle will be the home for The International 2023.
