Gaimin Gladiators Withdraw from The International 2025 — What We Know
On August 22, Valve officially announced that Gaimin Gladiators had withdrawn their application to participate in The International 2025. According to the organizers, negotiations between the invited players and the club’s management ended without an agreement, making it impossible for the team to compete. Valve is now searching for a replacement team to take part in the biggest tournament of the year.
Statement from the Organization
Gaimin Gladiators co-founder and president Nick Kukovillo confirmed the news on social media. He stated that “certain internal circumstances between the players and the organization made it impossible to continue with the current roster.” He added that he could not disclose details due to legal reasons but promised to share more information when possible.
The Future of TI 2025
The International 2025 will take place from September 4–14 in Hamburg, Germany. The group stage begins on September 4, while the playoffs will run from September 11–14 at the Barclays Arena. The minimum prize pool is set at $1.6 million.
Possible Replacements for GG
Valve has already started looking for a substitute. Among the potential candidates are OG (3rd place in the WEU qualifiers), Talon Esports, Yakult Brothers, and Team Yandex. However, the tight timeline before the tournament poses significant challenges, from visa approvals to roster adjustments.
On Reddit, many fans believe OG is the most likely choice: “OG did finish 3rd in the closed qualifiers for TI, and with GG being a WEU team, it seems very possible that OG might get called up.”
What This Means for the Esports Scene
A voluntary withdrawal from TI is an extremely rare occurrence, especially from one of the tournament favorites. The departure of Gaimin Gladiators undermines the prestige of the championship and creates significant logistical hurdles for Valve in securing a replacement on such short notice.
For the organization itself, the consequences could be severe: loss of trust from players, partners, and fans, along with potential legal disputes and complications in contractual relations.
Danil Chepil is an expert in the world of esports, having been following the esports scene since 2014. He specializes in Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and VALORANT.
Danil began his acquaintance and collaboration with EgamersWorld in 2022 when, after the Russian aggression, he could no longer continue his career as a bartender.
At that time, he didn't realize that he had a talent for writing news and articles on esports and gaming topics.
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