The biggest event in Dota 2, The International, will this year take place not in the USA but in neighbouring Canada.
It has been announced that Vancouver’s Rogers Arena will be hosting the Dota 2 Championships this coming summer. The championship will be held in the arena from Aug. 20th to the 25th. The best teams from around the world will duke it on in the arena for a chance to earn the prize pool money. The prize pool amount will be worth an estimated $27m (£19.2m).
Seattle was previously the annual host for the Dota 2 tournament, but renovations to the city’s Key Arena prompted a change in venue for this year. Valve, the creator of Dota 2, commented on the change of venue for this year: “Rogers Arena is a great venue, Vancouver is a great city, and Key Arena is going to be shut down for major construction very soon.”
The top eight teams from the Dota 2 Pro Circuit will receive a direct invitation to the Championship, while the other remaining eight teams will have to fight for a spot to participate in the competition.
However, fighting for a chance to participate in the competition isn’t easy. Wilson Teng, Digital Chaos, Manager commented on his team’s journey to participate in the tournament: “North America is a highly competitive region and a lot of teams are undergoing changes so it’s hard to see where we stand, but I can tell you our chances are as good as anyone else’s.”
Esports Insider says: Although it is unfortunate that Seattle won’t be able to host the Dota 2 tournament, it is great that another venue was found. Vancouver will no doubt be both honoured and proud to host such a prestigious competition.