The Internationals are typically the most lucrative esports events, year in and year out. Their Battle Pass earnings create hefty prize pools and captivate millions of Dota 2 esports fans across the globe. Nothing surprising, considering the sheer size and importance of Dota 2 in esports circles.
It’s a game whose popularity knows no boundaries. Dota 2 is an intercontinental craze, and every single one of its TI events always gathers massive attention. Not just from the fans, mind you, but from esports betting enthusiasts too.
Last year, The International 10 had 2,741,514 peak viewers with 125 hours of airtime. This year, the numbers are expected to keep on growing, hopefully surpassing 3 million peak viewership.
Where to Start Betting on The International 2022
As for the betting side of things – The International 2022 betting markets are already open and bookies are expecting another record-breaking competition. We already have several types of futures, with deep match-based coverage coming next week.
But, if You’re Just Starting Out, Things Might Seem a Bit Complicated
For instance, you might not know where you can start betting on The International 2022. You’ll be happy to know there are lots of options. But, such huge numbers might frighten newcomers – too many options can be a double-edged sword.
Worry not, as our list of the best Dota 2 betting sites has all the answers you need. It’s not really a short read, but it brings forth a ton of useful information about what to look for in online bookmakers. For everyone who doesn’t have a designated Dota 2 bookie yet, this is a must-read.
Types of Bets You Can Place on The International
As mentioned earlier, there’s already a ton of TI2022 betting options out there. These include the following:
- Outright winner
- To reach the final
- To qualify via the Last Chance Qualifier
As you can see, all three of these are futures. The latter isn’t based on The International main event, but the Last Chance Qualifier is scheduled to start on October 8th. It features a couple of top-tier teams, so if you know your way around the lower levels of DPC, it’s worth a shot.
Once the first matches kick off, betting sites with The International odds will have a ton of options for you. Match-winners will pose as the base, with numerous specials spicing things up in the value department. You can expect the following:
- Match-winners
- Team to destroy first turret
- Team to kill first Roshan
- Team to draw first blood
- Match duration over/under
- Correct score
- Player with most kills
- Player vs. player kills
Key Facts About TI2022
- The opening ceremony along with the first group stage matches are scheduled for October 15th. The grand finals are scheduled for October 30th, although we still don’t know the exact time.
- This year’s The International will be played in two venues – playoffs will be played at the SunTec Singapore venue; grand finals will be played at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
- As things stand now, the total prize pool will amount to $12.87 million. But, there’s still a lot of time until the start. You can track the TI2022 prize pool for more information.
- On the betting side of things, PSG.LGD is the favorite, followed by Team Spirit and OG as the primary contenders. Check out our Outright Winner section for more information on this.
- This year’s TI event will be live-streamed in five different languages: English, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. There will be more languages present, but on unofficial streams.
2022 The International Schedule & Format
The event starts off with the group stage and features twenty teams in total. Six qualified via the Regional Qualifiers, twelve through this season of Dota Pro Circuit, and two more will qualify via the Last Chance Qualifier scheduled just before The International.
The group stage will pack twenty teams in two groups, ten in each. The action will pan out in a single round-robin system with four best teams in each group advancing as the upper bracket contenders for the main event AKA the playoffs.
Teams placed 5th through 8th will go to the main event as lower bracket contenders. Finally, two bottom-placed teams from each group will be eliminated and won’t see the main event.
The playoffs will start on October 20th and will be held in front of a live audience at the SunTec Singapore venue. The main event will feature sixteen teams in a double-elimination bracket. It will culminate with the grand finals on October 30th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Outright Winner Betting on The International 2022
Now let’s talk about the currently available bets. Even though the likes of BetOnline (check out our BetOnline review here) feature three The International 2022 betting markets, outright winner is by far the most important one.
So, without any further ado, let’s check out the current outright winner odds for the top ten teams:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| PSG.LGD | +300 |
| Team Spirit | +400 |
| OG | +600 |
| Team Aster | +900 |
| Royal Never Give Up | +1000 |
| Entity | +1000 |
| Tundra Esports | +1500 |
| BOOM Esports | +1500 |
| Team SoloMid | +1500 |
| Evil Geniuses | +1500 |
Now let’s see which of the top-ranking teams have the best betting value:
Can PSG.LGD Win This Year?
PSG.LGD is back on track following a disastrous performance on Tour 3. A quick reminder, they went out in the group stage and failed to reach the regional finals. A series of big mistakes and tough losses led to a surprising finish for PSG.LGD.
But, XinQ and the boys didn’t take too long to bounce right back up. Just a couple of weeks later, PSG.LGD went on to beat Team Spirit in the Riyadh Masters grand finals. But, three weeks after that and their solid PGL Arlington Major campaign ended just short of the title, with team Spirit emerging as the grand final winner.
Despite losing the grand final in Arlington, all major online bookies see PSG.LGD as the main favorites, just above Team Spirit. It all comes down to the fact they’re a complete team. They’re much more consistent than Team Spirit and have the best chance of getting through to the grand final. But, if push comes to shove and we see a rerun of both The International 2021 and PGL Arlington Major finals, I reckon my money would be on Team Spirit.
Are Team Spirit the Best Challengers?
But, all things considered, are Team Spirit the best of what the Dota 2 esports scene has to offer against PSG.LGD? Well, I’m afraid they are. Even though some fans still don’t to bet on them due to their inconsistencies (ESL One events are the perfect examples, they’re still a force to be reckoned with in the DPC.
We’ve already seen OG take back-to-back TI titles – can we see Team Spirit follow in the same footsteps?
I for one wouldn’t be surprised if we see Yatoro and the boys back in the grand finals against PSG.LGD. But, they’re going to need a proper run of wins against the likes of OG, Aster, and RNGU, all of which pose as mighty challengers coming into the Singaporean special.
Yatoro’s Team Spirit hasn’t been that dominant this season. Despite having some poor runs, their dynamic gameplay and the ability to adapt to opponents’ plays are never to be taken for granted. If there’s a team that can beat PSG.LGD in the grand finals, it’s Team Spirit all day every day!
Can OG Do Something Incredible Again?
One of the biggest fairytales in the history of Dota 2 was courtesy of OG. Heck, not just one but two – two of the biggest fairytales in the history of Dota 2 came from OG. First off, they surprised everyone as complete outsiders and took The International 2018 title against PSG.LGD and then-record-breaking $25,532,177 in prize pool.
Then, just a year later, OG once again surprised everyone by winning back-to-back titles. This time around, the location was Shanghai, the opponent was Team Liquid and there was $34,330,068 in the prize pool. Perhaps they could’ve gone three from three, but we’ll never find out since the 2020 TI iteration had to be canceled due to COVID.
Their 2021 run ended short with losses to Team Spirit in the upper and Team Spirit in the lower bracket. Now, they’re preparing for another spectacular campaign, one that could write their numbers down into history books. I for one believe they have solid chances, but the competition on TI2022 isn’t lacking one bit.
Team Aster Is No Pushover
Moving on with our The International 2022 betting preview, let’s talk a bit about Team Aster. The full roster has been together for roughly a year. The last two arrivals came last November, so they won’t be able to say that their team cohesion wasn’t up to par in case of a poor result.
While we’re talking about results, we need to point out that Team Aster had a pretty decent year. They finished second on a number of competitions, including ESL One Malaysia in late August, as well as Tour 2 Regional Finals and Tour 3 Division 1.
Unfortunately, their last year’s TI performance was poor, to say the least. If I had to describe it with just one word, it’d surely be a catastrophe. They had no flair, no gameplay, no ganks – nothing. No surprise they ended up without a single win in the playoffs.
This year, though, we could finally see Xxs and BoBoKa do what they do best on the grandest of Dota 2 stages. They’re now surrounded by quality players – if they can be consistent throughout the group stage, they’re likely to feel comfortable once elimination matches kick off. Once there, these guys could go really far!
RNG Could Be Dangerous
Next up, Royal Never Give Up. Even though we usually associate this name with international League of Legends competitions, RNG finally has a formidable Dota 2 roster as well. They’ve been around for quite a while, but just recently started performing well on the highest of competitive levels. Last year, they didn’t even participate on The International.
In fact, this will be RNG’s second TI participation, following a solid run in 2019 when they finished in seventh/eighth following a 2:0 loss to Team Liquid. This year, they’ll be hoping to go further into the playoffs than ever before, otherwise, kaka’s and Ghost’s arrivals won’t mean a darn thing.
Even though the bookies are giving them solid chances at a title run, I for one don’t think these guys are cut out to go that far. Perhaps they’ll manage to reach the quarterfinals, but anything further than that would be a massive surprise in my books.
Entity Is Worth Mentioning Too
Last but not least, Entity! We’re looking at a roster that was pretty much formed late last year. It was rounded off with the arrival of Pure in late May. Since then, Entity showcased a couple of solid outings. However, none of them suggest they’re in for a title run in Singapore.
All in all, their best results this year came from Dota 2 Champions League season 8 and fourth place on DPC WEU Tour 3. In most recent campaigns, though, Entity finished 5th/6th on both PGL Arlington Major and ESL One Malaysia. True, they did win TI2022 Western Europe Qualifier, but that alone just isn’t enough to justify a bet on them to win the Singaporean spectacle outright.
No matter how good Entity are, all above-featured teams are a level above them. That said, if you’ve made up your mind and you’re interested in outright betting on The International 2022, make sure you invest in a team that’s not Entity.
The Wrap-Up
That’s pretty much it, ladies and gents! Remember, the eleventh annual iteration of The International starts on October 15th with the first group stage matches. The grand final is scheduled for October 30th. Make sure you mark the dates down in your calendar. This is one of the biggest esports events this year, so make sure you don’t miss it.
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