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| The Philippines could be in the running for a future TI hosting. Valve (file photo) |
MANILA—As the Philippines continues to stomp its dominance in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang scene, the country is beginning a renaissance of sorts in the DOTA 2 scene.
The biggest news of which is OG's decision to recruit an all-Filipino roster, which came close to a podium finish in the PGL Wallachia Season 6.
As it turns out, it is not the only big news that Filipino DOTA 2 fans would love.
No less than Philippine Esports Organization executive director Marlon Marcelo confirmed to Dugout Philippines on Friday night that a bid to host The International is in the works.
"Currently, we want to have a communication with Valve. This is part of [PSC] chairman Pato's [Gregorio] initiative sa pagpasok ng mga different sporting events in the country, so currently, we want to have a shot sa TI, and historically, we might have the facility to handle the job. So it's still worth a shot," Marcelo said.
With Shanghai already announced as the next host of TI next year, the plan, according to the popular DOTA 2 shoutcaster, is to bid for the next staging in 2027, although PESO may also push for a hosting bid for the 2028 and 2029 editions.
Marcelo, though, admitted that, as it stands, winning the TI hosting right is a shot in the dark.
"It's still a long shot currently, but we are assessing what the requirements and bidding procedure will be. We have confidence that the Philippines can actually handle that big event," he further said.
Marcelo added that the successful hosting of major DOTA 2 events like ESL One Manila, Manila Major, and Galaxy Battles 2 would help a lot in convincing Valve to host another major esports tournament in the country.
"We've done previous events with Valve that actually satisfied their requirements," Marcelo continued.
"We already know how to handle it, so it should be a piece of cake."
The SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, which hosted ESL One Manila and Manila Major, is among the target venues for a possible TI hosting.
The said indoor arena was the main home of the 2023 FIBA World Cup and this year's FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship.
However, Marcelo also said that PESO is willing to bring TI to another venue if the availability rises.
"If there would be open venues from other cities, why not? Basta, we already know the requirements. Kailangang arena size yung venue. It would be most probably in the metro cities, kung saan merong big venues na kayang i-support yung internet requirements ng TI," he further said.
"Lon", as what DOTA 2 fans would call him, even bared that the soon-to-open SM Seaside Arena in Cebu City could be an option as well.
For now, according to him, PESO is currently looking for "capable partners" to help in boosting the possible hosting bid for TI.
Meanwhile, word has reached Dugout Philippines that Valve looks to revisit the current structure of the road to TI.An insider said that following the massive success of this year's League of Legends World Championship, Valve may take drastic action to make major DOTA 2 events exciting again.
"There is no confirmed information yet, but the game’s competitive infrastructure unquestionably needs revitalization," said the source, who is monitoring the esports scene for sports betting site 1xBet.
"If Valve doesn’t want to surrender the entire MOBA esports landscape to Riot Games (LOL's developer), decisive action in 2026 is essential."
A major tweak to the DOTA 2 pro scene is very timely since TI 15 will take place in China, which has become a powerhouse in the said esport in recent years.
