Team Falcons are The International 2025 Champions
These last couple of weeks have been an unforgettable experience for the Dota 2 fans. The International 2025, which kicked off on September 4th, was filled with numerous surprises – from the rise of underdogs to unlikely outcomes and the unmatched passion of Dota 2 players and fans.
After the dust had finally settled, two favourite titans clashed at the grand finals, and Team Falcons were crowned as The International 2025 champions.
This year's iteration of TI was memorable because it was packed with everything that makes The International extraordinary – miracles, upsets, rivalries and legendary performances.
For Team Falcons, their triumph has already been written in the stars since the team's founding two years ago, and they have solidified their place in Dota 2 history.
How Team Falcons became The International 2025 champions
Team Falcons were one of the direct invites to The International 2025, and entered the tournament as the favourites to lift the Aegis.
Their journey truly began after a gruelling Swiss stage and elimination round that saw the exit of several top contenders, including Team Liquid, the defending champions.
Team Falcons faced tough challenges throughout the playoffs. Nonetheless, they stepped up to the occasion and paved their way through the upper bracket.
Xtreme Gaming, their grand finals opponents, were also among the favourites to lift the Aegis this year. For XG, the hopes of an entire region fall on their shoulders, and the team proved they are the best fit for the task by going undefeated during the Swiss stage.
Yet their momentum broke during the playoffs, where Pvision sent them to the lower bracket.
Xtreme battled through the lower bracket, eventually avenging their defeat at the lower bracket final and secured the spot for the grand finals.
Yes, ATF is now a TI champion.The grand finals series of The International 2025 between Team Falcons and Xtreme Gaming went the full distance. Both teams traded stomps, but in the deciding game, XG banned out most of Falcon's signature heroes. Yet, Team Falcons, the-champions-to-be,still stuck with their comfortable picks.
In the end, Team Falcons emerged as the champions of The International 2025.
The Stories of The International 2025
Another factor that makes The International 2025 truly stand out is that the tournament set new standards in professional Dota 2.
Aui_2000, the coach of Team Falcons, became the first person to lift the Aegis thrice, once as a player in 2015 and twice as a coach, in 2022 (as the coach of Tundra Esports) and now in 2025 (as the coach of Team Falcons).
This victory for Team Falcons also gave birth to two more two-time TI champions, Sneyking and Skiter.
For Sney, he became the first NA player to lift the Aegis of Champions twice, once with the roster of Tundra Esports in 2022, which he also shared with Skiter.
One of the youngest duos to lift TI.The duo of ATF and Malr1ne have also etched their names into the Aegis of Champions.
The International 2025 also finally crowned one of the two of Dota 2's long-standing uncrowned kings – Ame and Cr1t.
Ame, the uncrowned king in Dota 2.For Ame, the painful narrative continues. His pursuit of the Aegis will continue, as The International 2025 marked the third time he reached the grand finals of the TI stage.
Yet only to fall short again in a decisive game five against a Magnus draft.
Cr1t finally lifting the Aegis of ChampionsHowever, for Cr1t, his story has a much brighter ending. After nearly a decade of near misses and relentless pursuit, he has finally lifted the Aegis of Champions, immortalising his name as one of the best support players in Dota 2 history.
The International 2025 has once again proven one thing: no matter the narratives or the stories that unfold, TI remains unpredictable.
