Filipino midlaner Abed "Abed" Yusop and North American powerhouse team Evil Geniuses secured themselves the first direct invite to The International 10 which boasts of the highest prize pool in esports history at $40 million (P1,9 billion).
EG guaranteed itself a top three finish in the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) Season 2-North America Upper Division which grants at least 200 DPC points after it crushed Team Undying, 2-0, on Friday, May 14 (Philippine time).
This brings the NA kings to the top of the DPC rankings with a total of at least 1,150, well above the TI threshold of 1,050, according to renowned Dota 2 statistician Ben "Noxville" Steenhuisen.
It would be EG's seventh appearance out of the 10 editions of Dota 2's biggest tournament which started in 2011. The NA powerhouse organization lifted the Aegis of Champions back in 2015.
For his part, the 20-year-old Abed sealed his fifth consecutive participation in TI. He debuted in TI6 with Execration wherein he showcased his godly Meepo that finished with an 18-0 record against Complexity Gaming.
The pride of PH Dota then played with Digital Chaos in TI7 before suiting up for Fnatic in the next two iterations.
TI10, which was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held at its planned venue of Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on August 8 to 15.