Win.gg
Dota 2
OG, NiP fall in stacked Chongqing EU qualifier OG, NiP fall in stacked Chongqing EU qualifier
The field is set for The Chongqing Major , and the European qualifier brought with it a few surprises.
Following three days of intense competition, Team Secret, Team Liquid, and Alliance are all booked to compete in China. OG and Ninjas In Pyjamas, however, weren’t so lucky.
The crowded EU field was halved in the group stage, with Swedish side The Final Tribe advancing to the playoffs alongside Secret, Liquid, and Alliance. Washing out first with a 0-2 record were NiP and open qualifier winner Hippomaniacs. Knocked out in the final eliminator series with 1-2 records were OG and Vega Squadron.
It was a tough result for OG, but an understandable one. Despite entering the event as the reigning TI champions, Johan “N0tail” Sundstein’s team was rocked by the departure of its expert carry player Anathan “ana” Pham. Though it managed to find an able replacement in Per Anders Olsson “Pajkatt” Lille, the team had little time to gel and struggled as a result. Despite this loss, OG’s long-term prospects may remain fine if Pajkatt can settle into his new role with the championship side.
NiP’s flop was more difficult to excuse. While OG entered the event with recent roster changes, NiP entered at full strength coming off a strong showing at the Kuala Lumpur Major. The team lost to a pair of second tier opponents in The Final Tribe and Vega, a real blow for a group with high aspirations and one of the highest early point totals in the Dota Pro Circuit.
Both teams will have the opportunity for redemption at the Bucharest Minor. There are two European slots up for grabs in that tournament, and the winner of the event will score the final spot in the Chongqing Major.
The qualifiers begin on December 3 and will feature six teams, with two open qualifier winners joining OG, NiP, The Final Tribe, and Vega.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
View full profile
Read Also
Dota 2
ESIC hand down ruling in EWC Dota match-fixing case: Lifetime ban for coach as DarkMago gets a nickel
Michael Hassall
South American Dota 2 player Gonzalo "DarkMago" Herrera will be banned for five years from competitive Dota 2, with his coach Juan "Vintage" Angulo banned permanently, following the results of an The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) investigation. ESIC handed down the findings and rulings from its investigation into match-fixing allegations leveled at members of South American Dota 2 team PlayTime during the Esports World Cup on Sep. 10, in a ...
News
Polystrike Turns a Dota 2 Mod Into a Standalone Tactical Shooter
Hannan Mundia
After the community-made mod found success within the community, developer and publisher Robin Entertainment has decided to turn Polystrike into a proper standalone game. Community-made mods of games finding success within the respective game’s community is nothing new. However, only a handful of those mods are able to go on and become a standalone game. One of the more recent examples is The Forgotten City, which started as a mod ...
Dota 2
Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions
Michael Hassall
Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions
Michael Hassall
The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...
Dota 2
TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title
Michael Hassall
The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...
Dota 2
The International 2026 (TI15) Playoffs preview and predictions
Michael Hassall
The Group Stage of The International 2026, TI15, is in the books and we’ve whittled down 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams to just eight finalists. One of these talented lineups will be the ones lifting the Aegis of Champions come Sunday, Aug. 23, but until then, there’s plenty of playoff shenanigans that could go on. Below we’ve put together a preview of the upcoming Playoff Games, along ...
News
The Esports Nations Cup Has Been Postponed to November 2027
Ben Boland
The 2026 Esports Nations Cup has been suspended until 2027. The Esports Foundation announced the delay on August 18, citing ongoing regional uncertainty. The inaugural competition was scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprising over 100 national teams and featuring 16 different games, including League of Legends. According to the Esports Foundation, this decision follows ongoing developments in the region and consultation with key stakeholders. Moving the event ...
