The International 2025 playoffs preview: Predictions, matches, and best picks

Luke Warr Published September 8, 2025

Just eight teams remain in TI14 and the playoffs will whittle that down to just one.

The group stage is done. The elimination stage is done. All that’s left is an eight-team, double-elimination bracket to decide the next Dota 2 world champion. Here are the teams that remain in the hunt, when the champion will be decided, and who the favorites are to take the Aegis of Champions.

Event overview

TI14 playoffs format

• Eight teams remain after The Road to The International portion of the tournament
• Teams are seeded into an eight-team, double-elimination tournament bracket
• All teams start in the upper bracket
• The last team standing wins The International 2025

To this point, TI14 has used its own unique format that’s unlike anything seen before in Dota 2. That’s set to change in the playoffs. After a quirky group stage and the high-stakes elimination stage, things will get back to normal.

The playoffs are a straightforward double-elimination bracket. While there won’t be a round of best-of-one eliminators to start things off, veteran Dota 2 fans will be intimately familiar with how this pans out.

The International 2025 playoffs dates and schedule

The TI14 playoffs begin on September 11 at 4 am ET / 10 am CET.

For North American fans, each day of the playoffs will have that dreadful start time. As is TI tradition, the last day of competition will kick off with the lower bracket finals and conclude with the grand finals. The TI14 grand finals will take place on September 14 at 7 am ET / 1 pm CET.

Round 1 matches

• September 11, 2025 @ 4 am ET / 10 am CET – Xtreme Gaming (1.33) vs Tundra Esports (3.07)
• September 11, 2025 @ 7 am ET / 1 pm CET – Parivision (1.19) vs Heroic (4.25)
• September 11, 2025 @ 10 am ET / 4 pm CET – BetBoom Team (1.46) vs Nigma Galaxy (2.56)
• September 11, 2025 @ 1 pm ET / 7 pm CET – Team Tidebound (2.03) vs Team Falcons (1.71)

Dota 2 odds as of September 7, 5:00 PM MT.

Favorites to win TI14

Xtreme Gaming, Team Tidebound, and Parivision are the teams most likely to win The International 2025.

The big story of the TI14 group stage was the return to form for Chinese Dota 2. Xtreme Gaming was the lone team to go 4-1 in the group stage, while Team Tidebound also punched a ticket into the playoffs with a 4-1 run. Both teams are packed with veteran talent who have performed at The International in the past, with Tidebound in particular having a pair of former champions.

Parivision is the other key contender. The Russian team has been consistently strong throughout 2025 and is almost impossible to stop when it’s in good form. Parivision can get flustered if things start going sideways, but getting them on tilt like that is easier said than done. Read more insights into who will win TI14.

Best TI14 playoffs matches to bet on

BetBoom vs Nigma Galaxy, Team Tidebound vs Team Falcons, and Xtreme Gaming vs Tundra Esports all have value from a betting perspective. Each match should be approached differently, though.

• There’s a lot of value in a bet on Tundra. While the squad is a steep underdog against Xtreme Gaming, Tundra has been significantly stronger throughout the year. The odds in favor of Xtreme Gaming may be an overreaction.
• BetBoom Team has long been under-appreciated by Dota 2 betting sites. That’s the case with this matchup against the more popular Nigma Galaxy, where BB should be much bigger favorites.
• Team Falcons being the decisive favorite against Team Tidebound is somewhat surprising, given that Tidebound beat Falcons just a day before.

The exact best match varies based on the oddsmaker, as most sites have slightly different lines on each of these matches. Regardless, all three are worth considering.