Valve is committed to making The International a more enjoyable experience for both viewers at home and those attending the tournament in person. To achieve this goal, they have made significant alterations to the format and schedule of TI12, moving all games to weekend days in October.
The tournament will span three weekends and take place in two separate locations in Seattle, US, to crown the champions of TI12.
Format Changes: Road to The International and The International
Valve has revamped the format to ensure every match holds significance. The tournament will now consist of two main parts: Road to The International and The International.
Road to The International:
The group stage for TI12 will be held from October 12 to October 15, featuring a total of 20 teams. Unlike previous editions with two groups of 10 teams, TI12 will have four groups of five teams each. The group stage will consist of two phases.
In the first phase, each team will play only four matches, with the lowest-ranking team from each group being eliminated from the Road to TI.
The remaining 16 teams will proceed to the second phase of the group stage, engaging in head-to-head matches to determine the teams advancing to the Playoffs Upper Bracket and those moving to the Lower Bracket rounds.
Playoffs:
The Playoffs will take place from October 20 to October 22, with all matches being best-of-three encounters, including the first round of the Lower Bracket. This exciting stage will be held in front of a live audience at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit.
The International 2023:
The climax of TI12, known as The International 2023, will occur from October 27 to October 29 at the renovated Climate Pledge Arena (formerly Key Arena). The top eight teams from the Road to The International will compete for the highly coveted Dota 2 trophy, the Aegis of Champions.
Friday and Saturday will witness the Upper Bracket semifinals and finals, as well as the first round of elimination matches. On Sunday, October 29, the Lower Bracket finals will determine the top three teams, leading up to the grand finals, which will be a best-of-five showdown.
Ticket Sales:
Tickets for both the Road to The International playoffs stage at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit and The International 2023 at Climate Pledge Arena will go on sale in the second part of August 2023. Stay tuned for further updates and don't miss the chance to witness this epic Dota 2 spectacle.
