Team Falcons defeat Xtreme Gaming to be topped champions of The International 2025

Team Falcons outlasted Xtreme Gaming in 5 video games within the grand finals to assert this 12 months’s Aegis of Champions.

Western European juggernautTeam Falcons have been topped as this 12 months’s Dota 2 world champions after they defeated Chinese powerhouse Xtreme Gaming, 3-2, within the grand finals of The International (TI) 2025 on Monday (15 September).

With their victory, Falcons claimed the Aegis of Champions and the grand prize of US$1.1 million out of the event’s US$2.6 million prize pool. They are additionally the seventh workforce from Western Europe to win the world championship, extending the area’s ongoing period of dominance over the scene. 

Oliver “Skiter” Lepko and Jing “Sneyking” Wu now be a part of the illustrious membership of two-time TI champions, having claimed their first Aegis of Champions in TI 2022 with Tundra Esports. Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, Ammar “ATF” Assaf, and Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen additionally captured their first world championship title. Cr1t notably achieves the feat after having performed within the final 9 iterations of TI. 

Falcons coach Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling additionally turns into the first-ever participant/coach to assert three TI titles, having received his first as a participant with Evil Geniuses in 2015 and claiming his second because the coach of Tundra in TI 2022.

Meanwhile, Xtreme bow out of TI 2025 with a commendable second place end and with over US$340,000 in comfort. Unfortunately, China’s marketing campaign to reclaim the Aegis of Champions has gone unsuccessful for 9 years now. The legendary Wings Gaming have been notably the final Chinese workforce to assert a world championship all the way in which again in TI 2016.

Xtreme carry participant Wang “Ame” Chunyu has additionally did not shed his notorious moniker of ‘The Uncrowned King’, because the Aegis of Champions has now eluded him for seven TI appearances. It can be value noting that this marks the third time that Ame has misplaced in sport 5 of a TI grand remaining after TI 2018 and TI 2021. 

While Xtreme finally did not reclaim the Aegis of Champions this 12 months, their second place end nonetheless comes throughout an opportune time for the Chinese Dota 2 scene. After the area noticed regular decline for the previous few years, Chinese Dota has seen a veritable renaissance in TI 2025 because of the efficiency of their groups within the event in addition to the current announcement that TI 2026 will probably be hosted in Shanghai subsequent August.

Falcons’ journey to changing into TI 2025 champions

Falcons entered TI 2025 as one of many greatest favourites on paper, having secured a direct invite and successful the final huge event earlier than TI. On the opposite hand, Xtreme weren’t rated as extremely, having languished underneath the shadow of Team Tidebound for a lot of the 12 months and having to earn their spot within the event by the Chinese regional qualifier in March. 

Not solely that, Xtreme have been unable to compete with their unique roster after Wilson “poloson” Koh Chin was sidelined to be able to recuperate from well being points in July. The workforce then needed to faucet xNova to stand-in for poloson for TI 2025.

But as soon as TI 2025 kicked off, Xtreme shortly cemented themselves as the most important contenders for the Aegis of Champions by cruising by the Group Stage as the one workforce to win all their matches. The workforce notably defeated the likes of Eastern European squadsAurora Gaming and Team Spirit, Tidebound, and even Falcons of their first encounter of their event. That excellent run by the Group Stage earned Xtreme a direct berth to the Playoffs.

Falcons additionally loved a robust begin within the Group Stage, securing three wins within the first 4 rounds. Falcons defeated Team Nemesis, Tundra, and defending champions Team Liquid however misplaced to Xtreme in spherical three. They have been then pressured into the Elimination Stage after dropping to Tidebound within the remaining spherical of the Group Stage. Falcons knocked out Spirit within the Elimination Stage to safe their spot within the Playoffs.

The Playoffs then noticed Xtreme prolong their undefeated streak in TI 2025 to 5 matches with a sweep over Tundra within the higher bracket quarterfinals. However, the Chinese squad suffered their first match lack of the event within the higher bracket semifinals by the hands of Eastern Europe’s PARIVISION and have been knocked all the way down to the decrease bracket.

On the opposite hand, Falcons seemed dominant as they grew to become the primary workforce to succeed in the grand finals. They first bought their revenge over Tidebound within the higher bracket quarterfinals, received a three-game slugfest within the higher bracket semifinals versus BetBoom Team, then outlasted PARIVISION within the higher bracket finals to succeed in the championship spherical.

Xtreme have been fast to bounce again from their loss to PARIVISION, nevertheless, as they secured back-to-back sweeps over Nigma Galaxy and BetBoom to succeed in the ultimate day of TI 2025. Xtreme then defeated PARIVISION within the decrease bracket finals to earn the fitting to problem Falcons within the grand finals.

Team Falcons3-2Xtreme Gaming

The first 4 video games of the grand finals have been all one-sided, with Xtreme hanging first in a 51-minute sport one earlier than Falcons tied issues up at 1-1 in a 37-minute stomp in sport two. Xtreme secured a commanding 2-1 collection lead after successful a 40-minute sport three, however Falcons have been fast to power the grand finals to a deciding sport 5 with a 33-minute stomp in sport 4.

The remaining sport of TI 2025 noticed Falcons dominate from the get-go and methodically choose aside a cussed Xtreme protection. Despite the Chinese squad’s greatest efforts to mount a comeback, Falcons merely couldn’t be denied as they secured final victory after a grueling 58-minute decider.

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