Valve has just announced an overhaul to the schedule and format of The International 12 (TI12), the highest esports event for Dota 2. This year, the event will be held in Seattle, United States.

In a blog post published on the Dota 2 website, Valve explained that TI12 matches will only take place on weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and be divided into three parts, which are the group stage, playoffs, and finals. This format had already been implemented in the Singapore edition of TI11, and Valve decided to use it again.

The new format was applied to the group stage, where Valve implemented a change in structure and a reduction in the number of matches played. The aim of these changes was to make TI less overwhelming for players and spectators, and to make each match more meaningful.

At TI12, Valve mentioned that the tournament will be divided into two phases, namely Road to The International (group stage and playoffs), and The International which features the Grand Final.

Here's the schedule for TI12's new format:

Road to The International

Phase 1 Group Stage (October 12-13, 2023):

- 20 teams are divided into four groups (5 teams in each group). Each team will play four matches with a Round-Robin system.

- The top four teams in each group advance to the Group Stage 2.

- The bottom team from each group is eliminated

Phase 2 Group Stage (October 14-15, 2023):

- Eight head to head draws (Group A vs Group B, Group C vs Group D). The top two teams in the group are seeded.

- Eight winning teams advance to the Upper Bracket in the Playoffs.

- Losing teams (the remaining eight) occupy the Lower Bracket in the Playoffs

- All series use a Best of 3 (BO3) system

Playoffs (October 20-22, 2023, Seattle Convention Center's Summit):

- All series use the BO3 system (previous editions of TI, the Lower Bracket used BO1)

- The top eight surviving teams will advance to The International phase

The International

Grand Final (October 27-29, 2023, Climate Pledge Arena):

- Eight teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket format.

- All series use a BO3 system (except the Grand Final)

- The Grand Final uses a BO5 system, the winner will take home the Aegis of The Champions

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That's the new TI12 schedule and format. Valve has released updated information regarding TI12 tickets, which will be available in the second half of August 2023.

With this new structure, it's interesting to see how TI12 will unfold. Of course, fans are expecting something new at this event, as well as solace after TI11 was considered the worst The International.

Currently, 12 Dota 2 esports teams have secured slots through the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) 2023 invitation path. Who are the 8 teams that will make it to TI12?