A player finally qualified for The International 2025 after 12 years of trying but will miss the tournament due to injury

Wilson “Poloson” Koch, support player for Xtreme Gaming, has qualified for The International 2025 for the first time in his 12-year career, but will miss the championship due to a serious hand injury.

The esports player has repeatedly called The International his dream tournament and has participated in the qualifiers almost every season to compete for the Dota 2 world championship title. However, when he finally managed to qualify with Xtreme Gaming for TI14, doctors forbade him from competing.

After one of the tournaments, the player was diagnosed with tendovaginitis, an inflammation of the tendons. Specialists categorically forbade him from intensive training and performing on the Dota 2 pro scene. Moreover, he was warned that if he continued to play in this condition, he could jeopardize his entire career and health.

As a result, the team had to replace Poloson — Gian “xNova” Wei Yap will play in his place at The International 2025. Poloson himself has not yet commented on the situation, but it was probably a real blow for the pro player, who had been trying to fulfill his dream for 12 years and was literally one step away from it.

As a reminder, Xtreme Gaming previously changed its roster for The International 2025, and Valve responded.