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The International
From Liquipedia Dota 2 Wiki
The International
Series Information
Organizers:
Location:
Start Date:
2011-08-17
Cumulative Prize Pool:
$210,536,373 USD
Links
The International, often abbreviated as TI, is an annual tournament organized by Valve (along with PGL since 2016). In 2015 Valve founded the Dota Major Championships which incorporates The International into its structure, with The International being the final tournament of the season. In 2017 Valve announced Dota Pro Circuit with same structure as before but including Dota Minor Championships. In 2023 Valve cancelled the Dota Pro Circuit, leaving The International as the only event to be organized and sponsored by Valve. The International is currently the longest-standing tournament on the competitive Dota 2 calendar.
The first International drew attention due to its staggering $1.6 million USD prize pool, the highest prize pool of any single esports tournament at that time. Since 2013, the community has been able to contribute to the prize pool by purchasing the Compendium or Battle Pass where 25% of the sale goes to the prize pool. As a result, each succeeding International has higher prize pool than the previous International and had the largest prize pool for any single esports tournament at the time, this record was achieved in every iteration of the tournament from 2013 to 2021 (the prize pool surpassed $10 million in 2014, $20 million in 2016, $30 million in 2019 and $40 million in 2021) until the streak was broken by The International 2022 where the prize pool is $18 million, more than half lower compared to the previous International. The International 2023 had a prize pool of $3 million, the lowest since 2013.
The International 2011 was held in Cologne, Germany, during the trade show Gamescom 2011. The International was then held in Seattle, United States for six years from 2012 to 2017 (Benaroya Hall - 2012, 2013, KeyArena - 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). Due to redevelopment on KeyArena, The International 2018 was held in Vancouver, Canada at Rogers Arena. The International 2019 was held in Shanghai, China at Mercedes-Benz Arena, taking place in Asia for the first time. The tenth International was originally scheduled to take place in Stockholm, Sweden at Avicii Arena in 2020, but was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was then relocated to Bucharest, Romania at Arena Națională due to potential issues with COVID-19 related restrictions in Sweden. The tenth International also featured artificial crowd cheer as the event was held without audience.
The International 2022 was held in Singapore at Suntec Singapore Convention Centre and Singapore Indoor Stadium, returning to Asia for the second time and the first time in Southeast Asia. It is also the first iteration where the the main event was split and held in two different venues, the first part is commonly known as Playoffs while the second part is commonly known as Finals or The International itself. The International 2023 was held in Seattle, United States at Seattle Convention Center and Climate Pledge Arena (formerly KeyArena), marking a return to the location after six years.
The International 2024 was held in Copenhagen, Denmark at Royal Arena, marking a return to Europe after 13 years for audience as The International 2021 was held without an audience. The International 2025 was held at Hamburg, Germany at Barclays Arena, returning to Germany for the first time since its inception. The International 2026 was announced to be held at Shanghai, China.
For its first five editions, the theme of The International followed a colour cycle of five power runes in-game - Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow. Each installment of the tournament has featured a distinct theme and colour scheme.
To date, The International has been held in North America, Western Europe, China, and Southeast Asia.
Tournaments
[edit]| Tournament | Date | Prize Pool | Location | P# | Winner | Runner-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The International 2026 | Aug 13–23, 2026 | $1,600,000 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2025 | Sep 04–14, 2025 | $2,881,791 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2024 | Sep 04–15, 2024 | $2,776,566 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2023 | Oct 12–29, 2023 | $3,380,455 | 20 | ||||
| The International 2022 | Oct 15–30, 2022 | $18,930,775 | 20 | ||||
| The International 2021 | Oct 07–17, 2021 | $40,018,195 | 18 | ||||
| The International 2019 | Aug 15–25, 2019 | $34,330,068 | 18 | ||||
| The International 2018 | Aug 15–25, 2018 | $25,532,177 | 18 | ||||
| The International 2017 | Aug 02–12, 2017 | $24,787,916 | 18 | ||||
| The International 2016 | Aug 02–13, 2016 | $20,770,460 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2015 | Jul 27 – Aug 08, 2015 | $18,429,613 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2014 | Jul 08–21, 2014 | $10,923,977 | 19 | ||||
| The International 2013 | Aug 02–11, 2013 | $2,874,380 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2012 | Aug 26 – Sep 02, 2012 | $1,600,000 | 16 | ||||
| The International 2011 | Aug 17–21, 2011 | $1,600,000 | 16 | ||||
Prize Pool
[edit]The base prize pool is $1,600,000 USD.
| Tournament | Prize Pool | % of Previous Prize Pool | Contributed Prize Pool | % Increased From Base | Contribution Start | Contribution End | Contribution Days | Average Per Day | Contribution Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The International 2011 | $1,600,000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| The International 2012 | $1,600,000 | 100% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| The International 2013 | $2,874,380 | 179.649% | $1,274,380 | 79.649% | 06-May-2013 | 11-Aug-2013 | 98 | $13,004 | Compendium |
| The International 2014 | $10,923,977 | 380.046% | $9,323,977 | 582.749% | 09-May-2014 | 21-Jul-2014 | 74 | $127,726 | Compendium |
| The International 2015 | $18,429,613 | 168.708% | $16,829,613 | 1,051.851% | 01-May-2015 | 09-Aug-2015 | 101 | $166,630 | Compendium |
| The International 2016 | $20,770,460 | 112.702% | $19,170,460 | 1,198.154% | 16-May-2016 | 13-Aug-2016 | 90 | $215,398 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2017 | $24,787,916 | 119.342% | $23,187,916 | 1,449.245% | 04-May-2017 | 13-Aug-2017 | 102 | $227,333 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2018 | $25,532,177 | 103.003% | $23,932,177 | 1,495.761% | 08-May-2018 | 25-Aug-2018 | 110 | $215,605 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2019 | $34,330,068 | 134.458% | $32,730,068 | 2,045.629% | 07-May-2019 | 25-Aug-2019 | 111 | $294,865 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2021 | $40,018,195 | 116.569% | $38,418,195 | 2,401.137% | 25-May-2020 | 19-Oct-2020 | 138 | $278,393 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2022 | $18,930,775 | 47.305% | $17,330,775 | 1,083.173% | 01-Sep-2022 | 30-Oct-2022 | 60 | $298,806 | Battle Pass |
| The International 2023 | $3,380,455 | 17.857% | $1,780,455 | 111.278% | 28-Sep-2023 | 16-Nov-2023 | 50 | $55,639 | Compendium |
| The International 2024 | $2,776,566 | 82.136% | $1,176,566 | 73.535% | 22-Aug-2024 | 15-Sep-2024 | 25 | $47,063 | Compendium |
| The International 2025 | $2,881,791 | 103.79% | $1,281,791 | 80.112% | 19-Aug-2025 | 23-Sep-2025 | 36 | $32,682 | Team/Talent Bundle |
- 1 Percentage is rounded to three decimal place.
- 2 Average per day does not include the base prize pool.