The International 2025: Team Falcons secure grand final spot

Team Falcons seized the moment on the penultimate day of The International 2025 on Saturday, outlasting PARIVISION 2-1 in an upper bracket epic to become the first grand finalist at the Dota 2 event.

After trading stomps in the opening two games, Falcons survived a 65-minute decider defined by late-game composure and clutch team fights.

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  Fast Payouts

With Oliver “skiter” Lepko and Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu hunting a second Aegis and coach Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling eyeing a record third, the Western European Dota 2 powerhouse now await the lower bracket winner on championship Sunday.

While Falcons marched through, the playoff bracket claimed three casualties.

Nigma Galaxy’s comeback story ended in fifth–sixth place after a 0-2 loss to Xtreme Gaming. Game one was a scrappy, seesaw affair until XG’s superior late-game draft closed the door.

Game two unraveled quickly as Nigma managed only four kills. Even with their lackluster finish, Nigma Galaxy’s return to The International and top-six finish earned plaudits and a six-figure payday.

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  The bookies' bookie

HEROIC matched that fifth–sixth place finish but went out swinging against BetBoom Team in one of the tournament’s most gripping series.

They punished BetBoom’s openings in game two and pushed the decider to the limit with bold drafting and relentless tempo. In the end, Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko’s Gyrocopter turned the final fight with a perfectly timed Satanic, flipping momentum and the series.

BetBoom’s run ended a round later in fourth place, following a 2-0 defeat at the hand of Xtreme Gaming.

The opener hinged on Wang “Ame” Chunyu’s Anti-Mage finally breaking free in the late game. The second was a marathon knife-edge that tilted when a mistimed Chronosphere on Aeon Disk Leshrac sparked a chain of errors BetBoom couldn’t recover from.

Despite the sting, fourth is BetBoom’s best TI result to date and caps a breakthrough season.

That sets the stage for a high-stakes lower bracket finale, as Xtreme Gaming, surging behind Ame and a veteran core, meet PARIVISION in a rematch with everything on the line.

The winner gets another crack at Team Falcons for the Aegis of Champions. With China’s resurgence, PARIVISION’s redemption arc, and Falcons already perched in the grand final, TI 2025’s final day promises a blockbuster finish.