A new graphic released by Stan Tyan shows the list of nationalities that have competed at The International (TI), along with their TI prize pool earnings.
The most interesting observation from the infographic is how US$52 million of The International’s total US$180 million prize pool has been won by Chinese teams.
In fact, China has earned three times as much prize money than second place Russia.
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Methodology of the infographic
It’s important to point out how the TI prize pool earnings are being allocated. There are two important factors to consider.
The first factor is that this is based on the player’s nationality, not the team. PSG.LGD is a Chinese team but Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang is a Malaysian player on PSG.LGD. Therefore any TI prize pool earnings that NothingToSay receive while playing for PSG.LGD counts as money earned by a Malaysian.
The second factor to consider is players with dual citizenship. For the purpose of this infographic, the nationality players display on their Liquipedia page is the nationality used.
The TI prize pool earnings per player in the graphic are their gross winnings. It does not include the 5% to 10% cut that most organizations take.
Three reasons China leads the pack in Dota 2 TI prize pool earnings
China leads the pack when it comes to TI prize pool earnings by a significant margin. Looking at the teams competing at TI, it starts to make sense why the Chinese Region has had the biggest slice of the TI pie so far.
1. Chinese teams tend to field predominantly Chinese players
At TI10, there were five Chinese teams playing. Three of these teams included only Chinese players. PSG.LGD included one Malaysian player and Invictus Gaming had two Malaysian players.
At TI9, there were four Chinese teams and out of 20 players, 18 were from China.
OG on the other hand, fielded players from five different nationalities during their TI10 run.
2. China has sent more players to The International than the next three countries combined
The top four countries with representatives at The International are as follows:
- China — 223
- Malaysia — 64
- United States — 61
- Russia — 55
Malaysia, the United States, and Russia combined total 180 players, which is still less than the number of players China has sent to The International.
With such an impressive number of representatives, it’s no wonder that the Chinese region has been the most financially successful at The International.
3. China is a strong Dota 2 region
In the last three Internationals, PSG.LGD was considered a favorite to take home the Aegis. And while they weren’t crowned champions, PSG.LGD managed to place second twice, and third place once.
In TI10, three of the top six teams were from China. In TI9, two out of the top six teams were from China, and at TI7 four out of the top six teams were from China.
While the region hasn’t claimed the Aegis since TI6, Chinese teams have made it to the podium every single year since. The region also has multiple representatives that reach the top six.
Hungry for more Dota 2 action? Check out the Heroes of the Game documentary presented by foodpanda.
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