The group stages to The International 2019 are now complete and with that, the bracket for the main event has been decided.
Dota 2 community manager Wykhrm Reddy revealed the opening matchups for the tournament on Twitter and there are a lot of intriguing games to look forward to.
Day one of the main event is an interesting one, as it kicks off with PSG.LGD vs. Virtus.pro. PSG.LGD has been the most impressive team of the group stage to this point, while VP narrowly avoided starting in the lower bracket. There is no question that the Russian team remains a force at TI9, but they will need to step up to prove that here.
From there, Vici Gaming will take on TNC Predator. Group A was something of a mess as Team Secret and PSG.LGD were firmly cemented as the top teams while everyone else battled for position underneath them. TNC may or may not be a legitimate contender, but they will have to dive into the deepest part of the TI9 talent pool in order to show they are.
Day one closes out with the four lower bracket best-of-one series.
Alliance will look to stay alive as it faces off with Royal Never Give Up, while Team Liquid will look to shed off an underwhelming group stage performance with a game against Fnatic. Finally, Infamous vs. Keen Gaming and Mineski vs. Natus Vincere will see two of the regional qualifier winners sent home.
OG and Newbee will kick off day two. Both teams exceeded expectations in the group stage, but while Newbee surprised many by not coming close to elimination, OG did so by topping the stacked Group B. Newbee may be poised for a dark horse run but faces some long odds versus OG.
The most anticipated match is likely Team Secret vs. Evil Geniuses. Both teams looked shaky at points in the group stage but remain serious contenders to win the tournament. Each will hope to take the quicker path to the grand finals by staying in the upper bracket.
Day two will close with the loser of PSG.LGD vs. Virtus.pro taking on the winner of Alliance vs. Royal Never Give Up, and the loser of Vici Gaming vs. TNC facing the winner of Fnatic vs. Liquid.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
