等待季已至：回顾TI过去15年邀请赛历史
随着TI邀请季临近，回顾15年历史：邀请曾如同彩票抽签般令人焦虑，从早期神秘倒计时到积分系统，再回归Valve的主观筛选。如今，TI13预选赛将于6月9日开赛，5月公布的邀请函将延续近年模式，但这趟通往巅峰的旅程已历经巨变。
中文翻译
曾经有这么一阵子，TI（国际邀请赛）邀请名单的揭晓，简直就像是一场“生死攸关的彩票抽奖”叠加了一次“惊恐发作”。
Valve会挂出倒计时牌。粉丝们死死盯着推特和DOTA 2官方网站，每隔几分钟就疯狂刷新，焦急地等待着下一波名单公布。战队不清楚自己是否拿到了入场券，选手们同样惴惴不安，各个赛区的人们更是集体屏住了呼吸。
邀请函接踵而至。每一份名单的公布，都在某个地方点燃了狂欢，而在另一个角落却留下了彻骨的失落。
鉴于TI 2026的区域预选赛已确认将于6月9日正式打响，直邀名单的公布可谓指日可待。然而，通往TI的路径在这几年间已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。赛制从最初由Valve亲自挑选精英队伍参展，演变为一套严苛的积分体系，如今又似乎正逐渐回归Valve更具主观色彩的邀请传统。考虑到今年的直邀预计仍会像2024与2025年那样集中在五月公布，此刻正是我们回顾这段变迁历程的绝佳时机。
查看原文 (en)
Waiting season is here: Looking back at 15 years of TI invitesAs the time for invites to The International draws near, we look back at its history.
There was a time when The International invites felt like a lottery draw and a panic attack rolled into one.
Valve would post a countdown timer. Fans sat glued to Twitter and the Dota 2 website, hammering refresh every few minutes waiting for the next announcement. Teams didn’t know if they were in. Players didn’t know if they were in. Entire regions collectively held their breath.
One by one, the invitations would appear.
Every reveal sparked celebration somewhere and heartbreak somewhere else.
With qualifiers for The International 2026 confirmed to begin June 9th, the invites are almost certainly just around the corner. But the road to TI has changed dramatically over the years. What started as a handpicked showcase evolved into a strict points system before circling back toward Valve's more subjective approach. With invites expected to land in May — following the same pattern we saw in 2024 and 2025 — it feels like the right moment to look back at how we got here.