Tomorrow, on 15 August at 03:00 South African time, the group stages for the biggest esports tournament ever will begin. It is an extremely exciting time for Dota 2 esports fans out there and if you won’t be able to sleep tonight, I can’t blame you. Valve has now revealed The International 2019 groups and this is one of the first times I feel there is no clear group of death.
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The International 2019 groups see the top 18 teams split into two groups of nine. Group A features the likes of DPC leaders Team Secret and last year’s finalists, PSG.LGD as well as Team Liquid and more. In Group A, we have the defending champions OG, the frightening Virtus.Pro, Chinese juggernauts Vici Gaming as well as Evil Geniuses (OG versus EG grudge match confirmed).
All in all, The International 2019 groups look quite even, but that depends on how highly you rate some teams. For example, I rate Keen Gaming and OG higher than many others would, as we know the latter are both the defending champions and underdogs.
Check out the full The International 2019 groups in an image by the talented Wykrhm Reddy below:
Normally, group stages are a bit boring but not in The International as you will want to watch as many matches as you can and at the end of this group stage, the bottom team in each group will be eliminated. The group stage ends this Saturday, 18 August and it is one day you will definitely not want to miss.
Seeding for the main event takes place during the group stage for The International 2019 and if a team makes it to the top four places in their group, they will be seeded in the upper bracket. Teams placing 5th to 8th in their group will be seeded into the lower bracket with that incredibly exciting (to watch) and nerve-racking best-of-one first round that no pro team would ever want to play in.
As part of our The International 2019 coverage plan, I will be providing you with my Fantasy Challenge roster picks each day starting today at roughly 15:00 SA time for those who don’t have the time to do the research. If you want to make your own picks but know very little about the fantasy challenge, then check out our guide with some useful tips and everything else you need to know.
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How excited are you for The International 2019’s group stage to kick off and do you think there is a group of death? Let us know in the comment section below.
