Game publisher Valve has announced that Dota 2’s The International 10 (TI10) will be held in Bucharest, Romania in October.
The rescheduling comes after the Swedish Sports Federation voted not to accept esports into its federation, thus resulting in The International not being classified as an elite sporting event in the country. This meant that any visa applications would not be automatically approved for players outside of the EU.
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In the announcement, it was revealed that TI10’s group stage will run from October 7th to October 10th, with the main stage kicking off on October 12th. The finals will be held on October 17th, at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest.
A Valve spokesperson commented: “We are grateful for the partnership we have formed with Romania and the city of Bucharest, and very much look forward to gathering with the global Dota 2 community, both in-person and virtually, to celebrate the elite players and amazing fandom at The International. Prepare yourselves.”
As revealed in the statement, it seems that the offline event will also host spectators. Additional information for ticket sales is expected to be revealed soon.
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The prize pool for the competition will also remain the same. As such, teams will compete for a piece of the event’s $40m (~£29m) prize pool.
Esports Insider says: It should come as no surprise that The International will be held in Eastern Europe for the first time, due to the lighter COVID-19 restrictions in the region and the city’s willingness to participate. However, it’s still reassuring to see a host city be selected relatively quickly.