South America drops out from The International 2023
Western European teams dominated the 2023 DPC Season. However, Eastern European and South American teams occasionally stepped up to challenge them during LANs. Thus, it was astonishing to see South America being the first region that got eliminated from The International 2023. Shortly after the region’s elimination, Southeast Asian teams also followed them.
The New Doors
Thunder Awaken at The International 2022. Credits: ValveSouth American Dota scene has been constantly improving throughout the last few years. At The International 2022, Thunder Awaken secured a 5th-6th historic place finish for the region. The results opened many doors for the SA players.
Before the 2023 DPC Season, Evil Geniuses, a notorious North American esports organization, dropped their NA roster and signed players from South America for the upcoming DPC season.
As part of their move, the organization relocated their operations to South America. Valve also made changes and supported the region by granting SA two slots for the regional qualifiers for The International 2023.
At first, this move showed many signs of promise, as EG made a couple of deep runs at LANs. However, as the season progressed, EG's results at LANs started to decline.
Nevertheless, the team qualified for The International 2023. The beloved South American team was considered a dark horse at the tournament.
A Disappointment
For The International 2023, four South American teams partake in the tournament- two secured direct invites through the DPC Season, and the other got their ticket via the qualifiers.
After the end of the group stages, two SA teams, Beastcoast and Thunder Awaken, couldn’t keep up with the competition and got eliminated. As a result of their elimination, only two South American teams remained in the tournament. One of them was Evil Geniuses, the strongest team in the region.
Evil Geniuses and Keyd Stars at The International 2023 Mainstage.Credits: Valve
EG barely managed to dodge getting eliminated from the group stages. The team lost to Team Liquid in the seeding decider series, putting them in the lower bracket for the main stage. Unfortunately, in their first lower bracket series, Gaimin Gladiators eliminated them from the tournament.
Keyd Stars at The International 2023.Credits: Valve
One team from the region caught everyone's attention - Keys Stars. They were the last SA team remaining in the tournament.
Although they were a Division II team, they managed to impress everyone by winning a game against Tundra Esports in the group stages. They even made it to the main event. Unfortunately, their underdog run was short-lived, as they got defeated by BetBoom Team in the first round of the lower bracket.
With their elimination, teams from South America failed to make a deep run at The International 2023.
Only teams from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and China made it to the finals weekend. Eastern Europe has the majority of teams heading into the finals weekend, which begins on October 27, 2023.
Featured Image Source: Valve
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