The International 2017 expanded to 18 competing teams.
TI7 was the seventh edition of Valve’s Dota 2 world championship and took place in Seattle in August 2017. The field grew from the 16-team format used in 2016 to 18 teams, with six direct invites and 12 teams qualifying through regional tournaments.
The expansion also changed the qualification map. The Americas split into North and South America, while the Commonwealth of Independent States became a separate region from Europe. The group stage therefore used two groups of nine teams. The lowest-placed team in each group was eliminated, leaving 16 teams for the main event.
A common mix-up is to answer 16 because that was the number entering the double-elimination playoffs. The tournament’s total field was 18, while 16 advanced from the groups. Team Liquid won the championship by defeating Newbee 3–0 in the grand final.