The International’s regional power story has split into three different chapters. China still owns the event’s largest historical footprint, Eastern Europe has become the biggest recent talent bloc, and Western Europe has produced the strongest recent conversion from appearances to top-eight finishes.
That picture comes from a dataset covering 1,282 player representations across 15 editions of The International held between 2011 and 2026. A player counts once for every edition they entered, so the figures measure tournament appearances rather than unique people. The approach also helps show how multinational rosters have changed the balance of power beyond simple team or country labels.
China built the largest historical foundation
Chinese players account for 280 of the recorded appearances, more than twice Russia’s 138 and ahead of Malaysia’s 85 and the United States’ 79. Adding Macau brings China’s regional total to 288 appearances, or 22.5% of the full dataset.
China’s depth is clearer in the finishing numbers. Its players reached the top eight 171 times, a 61.1% rate. Including Macau raises that total to 176. Chinese players also supplied 14 champion representations from 2011 through 2016, appearing on the winning Invictus Gaming, Newbee, and Wings Gaming rosters.
China supplied 140 of the 482 player representations and 98 of the 241 top-eight representations recorded from 2011 through 2016. The 14 Chinese champion representations also include the contribution of Malaysian player Wong “ChuaN” Hock Chuan, who held a place on Invictus Gaming’s 2012 winning lineup.
China’s share of the field peaked at 35% in 2015, then fell to 12% in 2022 and 9% in 2023 before recovering to 16% in 2026. That rebound did not produce a late run. None of China’s 13 representatives reached the top eight at the latest event, which shows how far the region’s results have fallen from its early dominance.
That era ended with Wings Gaming’s victory in 2016. China has not produced another TI champion since then, even though it supplied 16% of the field in 2026.
Eastern Europe now fills the largest share of the field
Eastern Europe’s rise is the clearest recent change. The region supplied 131 player representations across the five Internationals from 2022 through 2026, compared with 75 from Western Europe, 71 from Southeast Asia, and 57 from China.
Its share grew at every edition during that span, moving from 19% in 2022 to 29% in 2023, 31% in 2024, 34% in 2025, and 39% in 2026. Thirty-one of the 80 players at the latest International came from Eastern Europe, more than three times the region’s nine appearances at TI 2019.
Team Spirit’s third TI championship on Aug. 23, which made it the first organization to win the event three times, added another clear example of the region’s strength. The wider numbers show that the result was not limited to one roster. Eastern Europe supplied 68 of the 200 top-eight player representations available from 2022 through 2026, along with 11 champion representations.
One team. Three Aegises. What a story ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rDpCiU7XfL
— Team Spirit Dota 2 (@TSpirit_Dota2) August 23, 2026
Russia and Ukraine account for most of that history. Russian players recorded 138 TI appearances, 75 top-eight finishes, and 12 champion appearances. Ukrainian players added 70 appearances, 32 top-eight finishes, and eight champion appearances. Together, the two countries make up 208 of Eastern Europe’s 234 historical appearances, just under 89%.
Western Europe still converts chances into trophies
Western Europe has the second-largest historical player pool with 260 appearances, but it leads every region in player representations on championship rosters with 26. Its players reached the top eight 129 times across the full period, a 49.6% rate.
The region’s winning rosters have also come from several different organizations. Alliance won with an all-Swedish lineup in 2013, Team Liquid took the title in 2017, and OG won back-to-back events in 2018 and 2019. Tundra Esports followed in 2022, Team Liquid returned to the top in 2024, and European players on Team Falcons added two champion representations in 2025.
Sweden leads Western Europe’s player pool with 65 appearances, including 33 top-eight finishes and eight champion appearances. Finland, Poland, and North Macedonia had smaller samples but strong rates, with Finnish players reaching the top eight 14 times in 19 appearances and Poland and North Macedonia each going six-for-seven.
Across the five most recent Internationals, Western Europe placed 49 of its 75 representatives in the top eight, a 65.3% rate. Eastern Europe supplied 56 more players during that span, but Western Europe’s smaller group produced the better finishing percentage among regions with at least 50 appearances.
Southeast Asia has volume without the same finishing rate
Southeast Asia recorded 241 historical appearances, only 19 fewer than Western Europe, yet its players reached the top eight 80 times and supplied just three champion representations. The recent gap is wider, with 11 top-eight finishes from 71 appearances between 2022 and 2026, a 15.5% rate.
Malaysia has the third-most appearances of any country with 85, while the Philippines has 68. Malaysian players reached the top eight 33 times, but Filipino players did so only seven times. Among countries with at least 20 appearances, the Philippines had the lowest top-eight rate at 10.3%.
South America established a regular presence later than the other major regions. It had no player representation before 2017, reached five players that year, and peaked at 22 in 2023. Peru accounts for 55 of the region’s 87 appearances, but South America has produced only 21 top-eight finishes and no champion appearances.
MENA posted the highest top-eight rate in the dataset, with 34 of 51 appearances reaching the top eight and six appearing on championship rosters. Its 66.7% rate is impressive, although the smaller sample does not support treating it as proof of the strongest overall player pool.
The International is more global, but its top remains concentrated
South America, MENA, and a broader mix of multinational rosters have made The International more geographically diverse than it was during Dota 2’s early China versus Europe period. The distribution at the top, however, is still narrow.
China, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe supplied 61% of all player representations, 70.5% of all top-eight finishes, and 60 of the 75 champion representations recorded across the 15 editions. Together, those three regions produced 80% of the players who appeared on winning rosters.
China remains the historical leader because of its early scale and deep finishes. Eastern Europe owns the largest share of the current talent pool, while Western Europe has been the most consistent recent route from participation to a late tournament run. The answer depends on whether ownership means history, volume, or the ability to turn a smaller field into trophies.
How the regional totals were calculated
The player rosters, country labels, and final placements came from Liquipedia records collected on Sep. 3, 2026. The count covers the 15 editions held from 2011 through 2026 and excludes TI10, which was postponed to 2021.
Players were counted once for every TI appearance, including those listed on a main roster or separately as substitutes. Coaches and other staff were excluded. Country labels follow the tournament listings and do not account for dual nationals, while tied third-through-eighth placements were included in the relevant top-four or top-eight totals.
The 2011 edition produced 82 player appearances under this method because Liquipedia lists six players for Scythe Gaming and includes Roman ‘rmN-‘ Paley as a substitute for GosuGamers. Countries were then grouped into broader regions to compare participation and finishing results across the event’s history.
The numbers leave plenty to debate about which region truly defines The International. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
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