Dota 2’s The International always comes with surprises, but only a few expected one of the world’s top teams to withdraw from the event entirely. After the Gaimin Gladiators announced it would miss the event, Valve has selected an official replacement who will take the place of the Western European squad. 

Yakutou Brothers get the call-up

The squad filling the vacant spot has now been confirmed: Yakutou Brothers (formerly Yakult’s Brothers) will step in for the Gaimin Gladiators at TI14. The Chinese squad narrowly missed direct qualification after falling to Xtreme Gaming in the grand finals of the CN qualifier. But now, they’ve been handed a miraculous second chance on the biggest stage of them all. 

Here is the current Yakutou Brothers roster:

• Zhiyi “flyfly” Jin
• Yi “Emo” Zhou
• Xiang “Beyond” Zhenghong
• Zhibiao “BoBoKa” Ye
• Chon Kien “Oli” Chan

Most players on the roster are no strangers to top-tier play: the team is a mix of experience and firepower. BoBoKa and Oli are household names, bringing years of TI pedigree, while Emo and flyfly are well-known names in the Chinese scene for playing their respective roles. Beyond, the team’s rookie, might not be a familiar name to many fans, but the offlaner has had a taste of TI before. He qualified for last year’s International and now has a chance to prove himself again, this time with a more tried-and-tested cast around him. 

Why not OG? Valve balancing the field

When GG’s withdrawal was announced, most fans assumed the replacement would come from Europe, specifically Western Europe – the same region GG reside in. That would have put OG as the frontrunner, given the team placed third in the WEU qualifier behind NAVI and Nigma Galaxy.

Instead, Valve made a different choice – adding a third Chinese team to the event’s lineup. Europe already had the highest number of representatives at TI14, whereas China had only two. Inviting Yakutou Brothers helps balance the regional spread of the tournament, giving the Chinese scene another chance to shine on the world stage. 

Talon Esports was a candidate, too

With Valve’s approach of trying to spread regional representatives, another name that surfaced in speculation was Talon Esports, arguably the strongest Southeast Asian team that surprisingly dropped out of the regional qualifiers. 

However, its hopes of receiving the call-up might have taken a hit when carry player Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon parted ways with the roster following its Esports World Cup 2025 qualifier loss. Talon’s chances of being selected were slim without a five-man lineup ready to play.

That left Yakutou Brothers as the most practical option with such short notice – a complete, ready-to-play roster. With TI14 being hosted in Germany, it’s likely the team had its visas prepared, while other potential replacements may not have. 

What will Yakutou Brothers bring to TI14?

Though the squad wasn’t part of the original 16, Yakutou Brothers shouldn’t be written off entirely. Its qualifier run showed flashes of brilliance, as it wwas able to take the upper bracket final series against Xtreme Gaming. 

The Brothers also had several respectable finishes throughout the year, finding its way into the top six of DreamLeague Season 26 and BLAST Slam II against top-tier competition – the same caliber of opponents it’ll be facing again at TI14. 

For China, its inclusion is a welcome boost. Once the most dominant region in Dota 2, Chinese teams have struggled to replicate their success for almost a decade. With Xtreme Gaming and Team Tidebound already in the mix, Yakutou Brothers now join the charge to bring the Aegis back to China.