Skip to content

Valve confirms Bucharest will host Dota 2's The International 10 in October

After Sweden failed to affirm competitors could receive elite athlete visas, Valve had to move fast to find an alternate host for TI10.

Seamus Byrne
Seamus Byrne
1 min read
Valve confirms Bucharest will host Dota 2's The International 10 in October

After a big failure in Sweden on what you might hope would be simple sports politics at this stage, Valve has moved quickly to find an alternate host city for this year's Dota 2 mega event The International 10 – Bucharest, Romania.

If you're not in the loop, The International is the world's most lucrative esports tournament. While it had to miss 2020, The International has made a habit of annually breaking its own records for the single biggest prize pool for an esports tournament (topped temporarily only by the Fortnite World Cup in 2019). This year's prize pool is over US$40M.

Tens of thousands of fans, millions of viewers around the world, tens fo millions of dollars in prizes. We're well past the moment when debating whether esports professionals are worthy of being put in the same bucket as normal sports professionals. Whatever your position on whether they're 'athletes', the idea they should not be able to receive fast turnaround visas for major esports events is just crazy.

Anyway, Sweden could not adjust its own rules to add esports pros to its elite visa system in time (after many, many months of lead time). So Valve had to pull the plug.

The tournament will take place starting October 7 in Bucharest at the Arena Nationala, the country's biggest sporting stadium. The final will take place October 17.

EsportsGames

Seamus Byrne

Founder and Head of Content at Byteside. Brings two decades of experience covering tech, digital culture, and their impacts on society.


Related Posts

Catan 6th Edition: examining side-by-side with 5th Edition

Our direct compare with 5th Edition to help you get an easy look at what exactly has changed and whether the new set is for you.

The open 6th Edition Catan box, with its cards, rules, and pieces organised on a black tablecloth.

Google Pixel 10: magnets, magic, and mentors await you!

Google Pixel 10 gets the Qi2 I said you should wait for, plus Magic Cue AI that adds contextual insights whenever you might need them.

Devices stand against a black background. Left to right: Pixel 10 series: The Pro Fold in grey, Buds 2 in grey with a white case, Pro XL and Pro in grey, Watch 4, and the 10 in bright blue..

PAX Australia cosplay competition entries are open

Anyone can turn up in a costume. But competitors need to apply soon!