Team Falcons stunned Chinese powerhouse Xtreme Gaming in the Grand Finals of The International 2025, winning the last two games in the best-of-five for a final score of 3-2.
The Grand Finals on September 14th was absolute cinema for Dota 2 esports fans across the globe. While most know the team that won, Team Falcons’ win marked a historic moment: Its Canadian coach, Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling, has become the first-ever person to lift the Aegis of Champions three times.
For the uninitiated, the Aegis of Champions is the iconic shield-shaped trophy, and since the first The International in 2011, no one has ever managed to lift it three times.
Team Falcons’ TI14 win marks a threepeat for Aui_2000
At the start of the Playoffs Stage, there were two people left competing with a chance at becoming the first-ever three-time champion. Neta “33” Shapira got knocked out of the event with the rest of Tundra Esports at the hands of Xtreme Gaming (Upper Bracket) and then HEROIC in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals, leaving only Aui_2000 with a chance at a threepeat.
Team Falcons soared through the Upper Bracket, beating Team Tidebound 2-0, and reverse-sweeping both BetBoom Team and PARIVISION to make it to the Grand Final, where they came back against Xtreme Gaming to win 3-2.
With the win, Aui_2000 is the first person ever to win three The International tournaments, having done so previously as a player with Evil Geniuses in 2015, and with Tundra Esports as a coach in 2022. He remains the only person to ever win the event both as a player and as a coach.
In a post-match interview, Aui_2000 said: “I’m grateful to my team, especially Stas. Thanks to everyone who makes this game so great. Honestly, I don’t know what my life would be without Dota. Thank you for the support and for giving us such an incredible opportunity.”
Taking to social media, Aui_2000 went on to thank “underappreciated heroes,” including their analyst, Alan Cook, and team manager. Mohammad Khalil “AfrOmoush” Abu Al Eis.
Team Falcons’ carry player, Oliver “skiter” Lepko, and support player Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu, became two-time champions, having previously won at The International 2022 with Tundra Esports, where they swept Team Spirit with a 3-0 score.
In case you’ve missed it, check out the highlights of the Grand Final between Team Falcons and Xtreme Gaming below:
Congratulations go out to Team Falcons for winning The International 2025, to skiter and Sneyking for becoming two-time champions, to Aui_2000 for his historic achievement, and everyone else who made the event such a joy to watch.