The International 2025: Newcomers look to write their name into the history books

The International 2025 is on the way, and there are a ton of players which will be entering the grand stage of Dota 2 as debutants.

The International 2025 marks not only the return of familiar faces but also the arrival of fresh ones, eager to make their mark on Dota 2’s biggest stage. For these debutants, the tournament represents the culmination of their biggest year. With the weight of TI205 on their shoulders and the spotlight centred on many of them, the chance to raise the Aegis of Champions will be on their minds. Every player will be looking to etch their name into the history books, but only one team will get the chance to do so.

The International 2025 – new faces amongst the masses

With 16 teams at TI2025, there were bound to be many debutants on show this year. While some organisations might be those of legend in Dota 2, the players will be experiencing the prestige of TI for the first time in Hamburg, Germany come September. However, whether a new organisation or old, the one thing that all these players have in common is that this will be their first time ever on Dota 2’s biggest stage.

Natus Vincere

One of the most famous organisations in Dota 2, Na’Vi went through a huge change recently. Swapping out their main roster for their NAVI Junior squad, the team takes on a new look coming into TI2025. With only Bakyt “Zayac” Emilzhanov having played at the event before, the remaining players are all debutants to the TI stage.

• Taras “gotthejuice” Linnikov
• Artem “Niku” Bachkur
• Yurii “pma” Prots
• Stanislav “Riddys” Mitroshkyn

While these four players are all new to TI, they have a wealth of experience between them. However, it must also be added that Niku is the youngest player at TI2025 – being the second youngest overall to ever attend the event, after Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan back in 2015.

NAVI Team Profile: The rite of passage

Wildcard

With a new roster announced in early January 2025, Wildcard has reignited the North American Dota 2 scene. Once again, only one player on the team has seen the stage of TI before. Luke “Yamsun” Wang previously played for nouns in their TI2023 run through to 7th/8th place. That said, the remaining players on the Wildcard squad are all entering their first-ever TI.

• Francis “RCY” Fundemera
• Victor “Fayde” Zuev
• Danil “Bignum” Shekhovtso
• Paul “Speeed” Bocchicchio

Although many of these players are fairly new in the eyes of the Dota 2 world, there is always the hope from the NA faithful that they can bring glory back to the region.

Wildcard Team Profile: Swing for the fences

PARIVISION

Entering the Dota 2 scene is never an easy task, but PARIVISION has made light work of it, for the most part. With a few huge victories along the way, the organisation enters its first ever TI in 2025. Of the team, two players have experience on the prestigious stage.

• Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov
• Edgar “9Class” Naltakian
• Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin

Although these three players will be experiencing the magnitude of TI for the first time, 9Class is a special case. Having qualified to TI2024 with Tundra Esports, the player was unable to attend due to visa issues. Thus, he enters his first TI, hopefully without any issues this time around.

Team Nemesis

Southeast Asia’s Dota 2 scene remains one of the most vibrant and outspoken, and this year they will have a lot to cheer for. With two teams to back, SEA fans will be ready to give it all for their champions. On that note, while BOOM Esports has a squad of TI veterans, three of the five from Team Nemesis will be making their debut.

• Mc Nicholson “Mac” Villanueva
• John Rey “Jing” Yee Duyan
• Erice “Erice” Guerra

The fully-Philippines roster also includes Marc Polo “Raven” Luis Fausto, who has seen multiple TIs in his career. However, it has been some time since SEA made it into the very highest echelons of TI – so Nemesis will need something special on their debut.

Team Nemesis Team Profile: Filipino passion meets TI pressure

Debutant players at The International 2025

While all of the above-mentioned players are of the same team and organisation, there are a few more players on other teams who are the only ones heading to their first TI.

• Nikita "panto" Balaganin (Aurora Gaming)
• Arman "Malady" Orazbayev (Gaimin Gladiators)
• Aleksandr "rue" Filin (Team Spirit)

A fourth player originally appeared on this list, with Wilson "poloson" Koh of Xtreme Gaming set to attend his first-ever TI. Unfortunately, announced on August 13th, Poloson’s Tenosynovitis injury has taken him out of contention for the tournament.

Even with a huge list of newcomers to The International 2025, the teams and players will all be putting their best foot forward come September. Hamburg, Germany now awaits the hopefuls, and the Aegis of Champions seeks its holder at TI2025.