Team Spirit and SG e-sports qualify for The International 10

William Davis Published 27/06/2021

Team Spirit and SG e-sports have secured spots in The International 10 through the regional qualifier series. Both squads will compete against 16 other teams for a piece of TI10’s $40,018,195 prize pool.

South America and Eastern Europe were the first regions to host The International 10 qualifiers. Only one team from each major Dota 2 region will ascend to the biggest event in esports history. 

Team Spirit was the favorite for Eastern Europe’s qualifier, but Team Empire gave them a major challenge. The shortest game in the best-of-five series was 41 minutes long. Spirit eventually seized the TI10 spot 3-2. Team Spirit demonstrated their determination at the end of game two. The squad somehow kept their Ancient alive through Team Empire’s entire onslaught. While Spirit did lose game two in the end, their grit shined in games four and five to take the series 3-2.

Team Spirit got second place in Eastern Europe’s second Dota Pro Circuit season. DPC champion Virtus.pro was directly invited to TI, clearing the way for Spirit’s qualifier run. 

They’ll be joined by SG e-sports, whose stellar teamwork was the hallmark of their qualifier run. SG e-sports will join beastcoast and Thunder Predator in representing South America at The International 10. After dropping their first grand finals game against Team Unknown, SG e-sports found their rhythm and ended the series 3-1.

A last stand from Unknown’s Christian “Pakazs” Savina marked the end of game two. The fight was so long that even the observer poked fun at it. Guilherme Silva Costábile racked up 64 Essence Shift stacks just from hitting Angel’s Medusa.

While both squads are now guaranteed a spot at The International 10, Valve doesn’t have any solid plans for hosting the tournament. A recent Swedish legal decision has made it nearly impossible for esports pros to acquire Swedish travel visas. Valve is currently searching for a new country to host The International 10. The next round of TI10 qualifiers will be North America and Southeast Asia starting June 30.

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