Valve announced that its annual Dota 2 esports championship, The International, will return to Seattle, Washington, in October. The International will be hosted at the Climate Pledge Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena in the heart of downtown Seattle, capable of seating between 17,000 – 18,300 attendees, depending on the configuration of the space.
Valve said that the group stage will begin on Oct. 14, with the playoffs to follow thereafter. Both the group stage and the playoffs will be presented under “The Road to the International.” The International will run from Oct. 27 – 29.
More details on “The Road to the International” will be released at a later date, as well as details on when tickets will go on sale at the event.
In 2022, The International playoffs were hosted at SunTec Singapore, with the Finals held at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The total prize pool was nearly $19M USD, with Tundra Esports winning the top prize of around $8.5M USD.