The dates for one of the biggest esports events in the world have finally been revealed.
From Aug. 7 to 12, the 16 best teams in Dota 2 will fight at the International 7 for their share of millions of dollars in prize money. Set to take place in Seattle’s Key Arena for the fourth year in a row, the seventh iteration of the International will also feature a massive cosplay competition, and is bound to use many of the inventive holographic displays present at previous Internationals.
The location for the International 7 was one of the main areas of speculation leading up to the event. In the past, some players have had issues obtaining U.S. visas to play in the tournament. As a result of the, since rescinded, U.S. executive order barring travel from seven Middle Eastern and African countries, Valve CEO Gabe Newell stated on Feb. 10 that the company might choose to hold its flagship event outside of America this year.
One of the major features of the International has been the crowdfunded prize pool. So far, the prize pool has always shattered the previous year’s record. Now the International 7 has the unenviable task of surpassing last year’s prize pool, which landed at $20.4 million.
Valve has not yet announced the dates of the tournament’s group stage. All previous years have, however, dedicated an entire week to the group stage.
