Every Dota 2 The International Champion (2011-2025)

The International is the high point of the Dota 2 professional circuit every year and the stage where the most memorable stories have been written since Valve organized the first International in 2011.

Let's take a look at the most relevant information about the history of the tournament, the players who were present at the tournament the most, and some trivia about The International.

Every Dota 2 The International Champion (2011-2025)

Current The International Champion

The current Dota 2 International champion is Team Falcons, who won The International 2025. The International (TI) started in 2011, and since Natus Vincere won the first edition, 11 different teams have lifted the Aegis of Champions.

Currently, we have three teams sharing the record for most The International titles won: Team Liquid, OG, and Team Spirit have two TI championships each and will fight for a third title at TI 2026. Below is the complete, updated list of TI champions.

The International Champions List

*The compendium for The International 2026 has not been released yet. Fans can contribute to the prize pool by buying the compendium and related content.

♦ The International 2025 — Team Falcons

Team Falcons started slow but managed to turn the game around against Xtreme Gaming and win the Grand Final 3-2. Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu and Oliver "skiter" Lepko won their second International with different organizations, matching the best organizations in professional Dota 2.

♦ The International 2024 — Team Liquid

Team Liquid was unmatched in 2024 and won against Gaimin Gladiators by 3-0. Neta "33" Shapira also lifted the Aegis for the second time, while Michał "Nisha" Jankowski finally crowned his consistent role as a star player with his first TI championship.

♦ The International 2023 — Team Spirit

This was Team Spirit's second The International championship, and once again, Gaimin Gladiators lost 3-0. Every player on the roster won their second International except Denis "Larl" Sigitov, who was lifting the Aegis for the first time.

♦ The International 2022 — Tundra Esports

Tundra Esports won 3-0 against Team Secret in the Grand Final. Team Secret had one of the most inspirational TI runs ever, going from the Last Chance Qualifiers to the Grand Final and revealing Nisha to the world.

♦ The International 2021 — Team Spirit

Team Spirit won their first The International at the best moment possible, with the pandemic inflating TI 2021's prize pool to over 40 million dollars. They won the Grand Final 3-2 against PSG.LGD, and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov made the Dota 2 world tremble before his Magnus.

♦ The International 2019 — OG

The second The International championship for OG had the exact same roster as the first one, and Anathan "ana" Pham created the meme of "the best summer job of all time" after OG beat Team Liquid 3-1 in the Grand Final, following Ana spending most of the year away from professional Dota.

♦ The International 2018 — OG

OG performed what is, to this day, considered the greatest miracle in professional Dota 2. Part of their roster left shortly before The International 2018, and Johan "N0tail" Sundstein put together a new roster.

They won the Open Qualifiers, the Closed Qualifiers, and two Internationals back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. OG won the Grand Final in 2018 by 3-2 against PSG.LGD and is the only team to ever win two TIs back-to-back so far.

♦ The International 2017 — Team Liquid

Team Liquid won their first The International in 2017 after beating Newbee by 3-0 in the Grand Final. Amer "Miracle-" Al-Barkawi was revealed as a pro player by OG but only won TI with Liquid. This roster would eventually leave the organization and form Nigma Galaxy.

♦ The International 2016 — Wings Gaming

Wings Gaming would become the last Chinese team to win The International and ended the alternation between China and Western teams that had taken place up to that point. They won the Grand Final against Digital Chaos by 3-1, but DC was the greatest dark horse story in Dota 2.

They started off as a team that had low expectations from everyone but ended up rising as the Western team to reach the Grand Final. This is one of the occasions where the runner-up had a better story than the champions, and lots of people still remember it.

♦ The International 2015 — Evil Geniuses

Evil Geniuses was the first and last North American roster to win The International after beating CDEC Gaming by 3-1. Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan was the name of the year by breaking three world records in a row.

First, he became the youngest player to win an official Valve event, doing so at only 15 years and 361 days old at DAC 2015. After that, he became the youngest player to play at The International and the youngest to win an International after winning The International 2015 when he was just 16 years and 176 days old.

♦ The International 2014 — Newbee

Newbee won what was arguably China's best year in professional Dota 2. They defeated Vici Gaming by 3-1 in the Grand Final and lifted names like Zhang "xiao8" Ning to the top of pro Dota, where he remains to this day.

♦ The International 2013 — Alliance

Alliance and "Rat Dota" were the theme of the year in professional Dota 2, and the best part about their strategy was that knowing how they played did not change the outcome for their adversaries.

They played what is considered by most Dota 2 fans to be the best The International Grand Final against Natus Vincere and won 3-2 in the last minute after the world-famous "million dollar Dream Coil."

♦ The International 2012 — Invictus Gaming

Invictus Gaming started the cycle of "one Western team, one Chinese team" that defined The International until 2017. They won the second International against Natus Vincere by 3-1.

Na'Vi were the defending champions, but IG presented to the world the famous Chinese Dota, where teams would farm until their cores were ready, avoiding confrontation, and then went in swinging with full force against their enemies.

♦ The International 2011 — Natus Vincere

Natus Vincere won The International in a time when most players would compete for smaller prizes, beer, and other trinkets. Their Clement "Puppey" Ivanov and Danil "Dendi" Ishutin duo with Pudge and Chen defined the tournament and set the tone for Valve tournaments to this day, making the best use of bugs and unique mechanics to their advantage.

The International Trivia

Most Participations as Player

Clement "Puppey" Ivanov and Tal "Fly" Aizik are tied for the most participations after reaching 11 editions of The International each.

Player Representing the Same Organization the Most

Clement "Puppey" Ivanov played under the banner of Team Secret for seven consecutive editions of The International (TI5→TI11).

Player Representing the Most Different Organizations

Daryl "iceiceice" Koh represented eight different organizations at The International:

• Scythe Gaming (2011)
• Team Zenith (2012, 2013)
• Team DK (2014)
• Vici Gaming (2015)
• EHOME (2016)
• Mineski (2018)
• Fnatic (2019)
• Evil Geniuses (2021)

First Roster to Win The International Twice

The whole roster of OG was the first roster to win TI twice at The International 2019, becoming the only players to win two TIs back-to-back and, by extension, the only ones to successfully defend the Aegis of Champions.

Player With Most Placements at the Top 4

Clement "Puppey" Ivanov has reached the top four six times (with Natus Vincere in 2011, 2012, and 2013 and with Team Secret in 2019, 2021, and 2022). 

Player With Most Placements at the Top 4 That Did Not Win

Wang "Ame" Chunyu placed second three times but has never won an International (PSG.LGD in 2018 and 2021 and Xtreme Gaming in 2025).

Youngest and Oldest Player to Win

• Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan was the youngest player to win The International, claiming the title in 2015 at 16 years and 176 days old.

• Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu was the oldest player to win The International, claiming the title in 2025 at 30 years and 135 days old.

Won The International as Player and as Coach

Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling was the first person to win The International both as a player (TI 2015) and as a coach (TI 2022)..

Most Participations as Coach

Lee "SunBhie" Jeong-jae appeared as a coach at The International from TI 2016 to TI 2024, for a total of eight appearances.

Coach Representing the Same Organization the Most

Airat "Silent" Gaziev has coached Team Spirit for five consecutive editions of The International (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025).

Coach Representing the Most Different Organizations

SunBhie and Aui_2000 are tied for representing the most different organizations as coaches, with five organizations each.

SunBhie

• TNC Pro Team
• Team Secret
• Fnatic
• Talon Esports
• Aurora Gaming

Aui_2000

• Team Secret
• Fnatic
• Newbee
• Tundra Esports
• Team Falcons

Youngest and Oldest Coach to Win

• Kanishka "BuLba" Sosale was the youngest coach to win The International, claiming the title in 2015 at 24 years and 30 days old.

• William "Blitz" Lee was the oldest coach to win The International, claiming the title in 2024 at 34 years and 118 days old.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the first Dota 2 International in 2011?

Natus Vincere won The International 2011 after beating EHOME by 3-1.

Who has won the most Dota 2 International championships?

Team Liquid, OG, and Team Spirit are tied for the most victories, with two International championships each. These are also the only organizations to have won The International more than once.

Who won The International 2025?

Team Falcons won The International 2025 after beating Xtreme Gaming by 3-2.

Was there a Dota 2 International in 2020?

No, The International 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What was the biggest prize pool in The International history?

The International 2021 accumulated the prize pool from 2020 and reached the highest prize pool in the tournament's history, with a grand total of $40,018,195 USD.

Which region has won the most TI championships — Europe, China, or North America?

This answer is a little tricky because organizations migrate from their home regions, rosters have become increasingly more globalized, and Valve used to separate Western and Eastern Europe.

If we consider the region organizations compete in and unite Western and Eastern Europe, they have 9 championships (10 if Team Falcons is considered WEU instead of MENA).

How much prize money does the TI winner get?

The prize money percentage for the TI winner has varied a lot, ranging between 62.5% (Na'Vi and iG at TI 2011 and TI 2012) and 36% (EG at TI 2015).

Why did TI prize pools shrink after 2021?

Valve created the Battle Pass and added increasingly more expensive rewards, leading to a higher prize pool up until The International 2021, which had two years' worth of Battle Pass money. After The International 2022, Valve decided to stop making the Battle Pass and "spread the effort" across a bigger variety of events throughout the year. The absence of exclusive items and the Battle Pass reduced drastically the interest of fans in the compendium and by extension the prize pool.

How is the TI prize pool funded?

Since The International 2011, Valve has contributed $1,600,000 USD, and from TI 2013 onward, part of the money earned by selling the Compendium or the Battle Pass has been added to the total prize pool.

---

Follow Strafe Esports for the latest Dota 2 news, and our X account for the latest content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to Strafe's YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credit: Flickr (dota2ti)