International
Team Liquid wins The International 13 Dota 2 Championship, defeats Gaimin Gladiators 3-0
Team Liquid won The International 13 Dota 2 championship, defeating Gaimin Gladiators 3-0 in the grand final. The victory secured Liquid’s second TI title and over US$1.15 million in prize money, with Neta “33” Shapira becoming a two-time champion.
Team Liquid has claimed the title of world champions at The International 13 (TI13) Dota 2 tournament, defeating Gaimin Gladiators 3-0 in the grand final. Despite entering the match as underdogs due to their history of losing grand finals, especially against Gaimin Gladiators, Liquid delivered a dominant performance to secure their second TI victory.
Dota 2, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Valve, is one of the most popular esports titles in the world. In this competitive game, two teams of five players each battle to destroy the opposing team’s base, known as the “Ancient,” while defending their own. The International, Dota 2’s premier annual tournament, is widely regarded as one of the largest and most prestigious events in the esports industry.
Liquid, one of the favourites going into the event, dispelled doubts with their commanding win. This marks their second International title, the first being in 2017, and the first with their current roster. Neta “33” Shapira became one of the few players to win the tournament twice, having previously triumphed with Tundra Esports in 2022.
For their triumph, Team Liquid not only raised the coveted Aegis of Champions but also took home over US$1.15 million. Gaimin Gladiators, the runners-up, earned just over US$358,000.
Throughout the tournament, Liquid demonstrated exceptional form. They only suffered one loss during the group stage and the seeding decider phases, going on to deliver one of the most dominant performances in the history of The International. Liquid did not lose a single game in the playoff bracket, making their path to the championship flawless.
In the final, Liquid started strong despite Gaimin’s momentum after defeating Tundra Esports in the lower bracket final earlier that day. Though the 3-0 scoreline did not live up to the epic expectations of many fans, Liquid’s decisive victory brought immense satisfaction to their supporters, who had long awaited their team breaking a string of grand final losses.
Coach William Lee delivered an emotional speech after the win, expressing gratitude for the team’s perseverance through difficult years: “I feel like they took a chance on a guy who’s never coached a winning team before. We had so many losses… I’m just so glad that people like Zai, Nisha, and Boxi took a chance on us,” Lee said.
The final, while not as close as some anticipated, offered fans a deeply rewarding conclusion. After years of near-misses in major tournaments, Team Liquid finally broke their grand final curse on the biggest stage of all.
Their commanding victory, combined with their beloved status in the Dota 2 community, led to an outpouring of emotion, with many fans visibly in tears as they witnessed Liquid lift the Aegis.
Liquid’s unprecedented dominance throughout the playoffs only added to the historic nature of their win, which will go down as one of the most satisfying and celebrated moments in Dota 2 history.
The International 2024, also known as TI 13, was the thirteenth edition of Dota 2’s premier esports tournament, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Six teams were directly invited, while ten teams qualified through regional tournaments. Two teams each came from Western Europe, China, Southeast Asia, and South America, while Eastern Europe and North America each sent one team.
The base prize pool of the tournament was set at US$1.6 million, with an additional US$963,967 added from 25% of all Compendium sales, bringing the total prize pool to over US$2.5 million.
