Team Falcons beat Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in a nail-biting grand final at The International 2025, winning the Aegis of Champions and securing their position in Dota 2 history.
The Hamburg Barclays Arena championship game on September 14, 2025, ended the most dramatic tournament in recent history with both teams showcasing spectacular talent in five fiercely fought games. Team Falcons took home the lion’s share of the tournament’s $2.6 million prize purse, with around $1.1 million.
Historic Achievements for Falcons Roster
The win represents a career highlight moment for many members of the team. Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen finally took home his first TI title after nine consecutive tournament appearances since 2016. The Danish support player’s determination to succeed through almost a decade of tries has placed him among the most iconic winners in the history of the tournament.
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko and Jing “Sneyking” Wu became part of the rare two-time TI champion club after they previously claimed it with Tundra Esports in 2022. Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak and Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf won their first world championship titles.
Most impressively, Team Falcons coach Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling joined the exclusive club of individuals in TI history to have won three championships, having done so previously as a player with Evil Geniuses in 2015 and as a coach with Tundra Esports in 2022. This record-breaking performance makes him one of the greatest competitive Dota 2 players of all time.
China’s Championship Drought Continues
The loss stretches China’s nine-year title drought, with Wings Gaming being the previous Chinese squad to have won the Aegis in 2016. Wang “Ame” Chunyu, who is dubbed “the uncrowned king,” lost his third grand final match in five attempts after failing previously in 2018 and 2021. The experienced carry player’s seventh TI appearance was cut short in familiar heartbreak despite individual brilliance throughout the series.
Xtreme Gaming’s path to the final was especially notable considering. The team played with stand-in Yap “xNova” Jian Wei after Wilson “poloson” Koh Chin was forced to sit out because of health concerns. Even with this loss, they swept the group stage before embarking on a strong lower bracket run to get to the championship game.
The International 2025 featured a new Swiss-system format for the group stage, replacing the traditional round-robin structure. Sixteen teams competed for the championship, with the tournament split between “The Road to The International” and the main event playoffs held at the 16,000-seat Barclays Arena.
This was the first time The International has visited Germany since the first tournament held in Gamescom in 2011. The success of the tournament in Hamburg has paved the way for The International 2026, which Valve announced would be held in Shanghai, China, in August, a faster timing than previously.