The FIFA Men's World Cup won't be the only big international competition coming to Seattle.
Earlier this month, Bellevue-based video game studio Valve Corp. announced the championship tournament for its multiplayer strategy game Dota 2 will take place at Climate Pledge Arena from Oct. 27-29.
It's the first time Seattle has hosted the event, called The International, since 2017. Its total prize money was $40 million in 2021 and almost $19 million last year.
"The International is watched by millions, from casual players to seasoned veterans and retired pros," Valve wrote on the Dota 2 website announcing the format for this year.
The entire competition will take place over three weekends, with a virtual round-robin stage of 20 teams taking place from Oct. 12-15. A playoff to determine seeding for the top eight teams will take place at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit addition from Oct. 20-22. The top teams will then compete in The International at Climate Pledge the following weekend. The final match will be a best-of-five series.
Tickets for The International, which are sold as a three-day pass for $699 plus fees, go on sale Friday. Tickets for the playoff round to determine seeding cost $99 per day plus fees and go on sale Monday. Viewers can also watch the action through a livestream.
Singapore hosted The International last year, while Bucharest, Romania, hosted it in 2021. Seattle hosted the event from 2012 to 2017.
Dota 2, released in 2013, is a five-on-five battle game where teams compete to destroy a structure in the other team's base. Players can choose from more than 100 characters.
Valve, meanwhile, was founded in 1996. In addition to Dota 2, its games include Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Left 4 Dead. Valve is also the maker of Steam, a platform for playing, making and discussing video games.
