Dota 2 team becomes first to win The International twice, takes home over $15m Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Dota 2 team becomes first to win The International twice, takes home over $15m Dota stop believin'. News by Chris Tapsell Reviews Editor Updated on 25 Aug 2019 11 comments Reigning Dota 2 champions OG have just won the ninth International (TI9), taking the trophy - sorry, Aegis of Champions - home to Europe from Shanghai, China alongside a cool £15m in prize money. They also set a new record, becoming the first team - and first individual players - to win the championship twice. Earlier in the day, after technical issues made for a delayed start, PSG-LGD, part-owned by oil-rich football club Paris Saint-Germain, saw themselves knocked out in the semi-finals by runners up Team Liquid. Had they gone through, PSG-LGD would have faced OG in a rematch of last year's final. The Chinese team's status as the last remaining "home" side in Shanghai meant their earlier best-of-three match played out in front of a raucous, packed-out Mercedes Benz Arena, and despite their team being knocked out in the morning that atmosphere continued throughout. The Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai was packed out, especially for games featuring Chinese teams. Image Credit: Valve. Both finalists were previous winners of the tournament, guaranteeing us a record-breaking two-time winner. Team Liquid won the tournament two years ago at TI7 in 2017, earning $10.9m, while OG came out on top last year for TI8, earning $11.2m along the way - that was despite OG's status as huge outsiders, when they lost half of their team to a rival side, EG, a few weeks before the tournament. OG's two wins in a row means the players have amassed nearly $27m (approximately £22m) between them in the last 13 months. OG player Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, who earlier spoke about his sadness at losing his family dog shortly before the tournament, said: "It's too good to be true, it feels almost just the same [as last year]." He added, "This is a dream." N0tail lined up alongside Anathan "Ana" Pham, Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, Sébastien "7ckingMad" Debs and Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka who, in a rare occurrence for esports, are the exact same five players who won the tournament last year with OG, too. Their innovative strategy - using a traditionally support-only hero as a damage-dealing carry - proved a huge success, the team not losing a single match where they employed it, and winning the final match against Team Liquid using it again. Champion N0tail and his team OG retain their title, the first time any team or player has done so in the competition's history. Image credit: Valve. The International remains the tournament with largest top prize players can earn from esports, as OG's share of slightly over $3m for each of their five players just edging out the $3m that went to the first official Fortnite tournament's winner, 16-year-old Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf. The next Dota 2 International, TI10, will take place in Stockholm, Sweden next year. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store