Team Spirit has landed the Aegis trophy after being crowned champions of Dota 2’s The International 2021. The win sees the team take home a cash prize of $18.2 million from a prize pool of $40 million — the largest in esports history.
The prize is funded by Dota 2 developer Valve, as well as community contributions that come from a percentage of in-game purchases of the Compendium and Battlepass.
Team Spirit, based in Moscow, is the first Eastern European team to win since Ukraine’s Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) won the inaugural tournament in 2011. That first tournament — played in Cologne, Germany — had a prize pool of $1 million.
For the last few years, The International has been dominated by teams based in the European Union, but the tournament took a year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That hiatus saw 2020’s prize pool transferred to this year.
WE ARE THE INTERNATIONAL 10 CHAMPIONS 🐉
It was an amazing adventure. We thank all the fans for your support! We wouldn't be there without you. See you next season!#SPIRITIX pic.twitter.com/JWB5buXfEW
— Team Spirit @TIX (@Team__Spirit) October 17, 2021
Dota 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) where two teams of five players battle for control of their enemy’s base while trying to defend their own. Each playable character comes with a range of unique skills, which allows for strategic team composition and unexpected plays. There’s a high skill ceiling and a massive learning curve for anyone who hopes to get good.
Despite not having a live audience as it usually does, this year’s International tournament was broadcast live, with play-by-play commentary across multiple languages. Chinese team PSG.LGD took home the runner-up’s prize — a measly $5.2 million.
Written by Kirk McKeand on behalf of GLHF.
