How much is the prize pool of The International?
The International tournament is one of the most important gaming events of the year. It is a tournament for Dota 2, a multiplayer video game developed by Valve. This game may be familiar to most as it is the sequel to the highly popular Defense of the Ancients, which is a custom game mode for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
The International is highly anticipated and is an event that people all over the world tune in to watch. While it started as a way for Valve to officially put Dota 2 on the map, today it is the biggest and most important event in the Dota Major Championships.
There is a lot of money involved with this prestigious event. People all around the globe tune in not only to cheer for their favorite teams but also to participate in the form of esports betting. Also, people who buy battle passes contribute to the hefty prize pool.
Discover just how much money the winners of this tournament can win here!
The International 2011 to 2019
The first International was held in Cologne Germany back in 2011. 16 teams were invited to compete for the title, as well as the 1.6 million USD prize pool. Natus Vincere ended up winning the tournament, with EHOME as the runner-up.
From 2012 to 2017, The International would be held in Seattle, Washington. In 2012 in particular, compared to The International the year before, only 14 teams were invited, while 2 slots were filled by the winners of the regional qualifiers. The prize pool remained at 1.6 million USD. The championship was won by Invictus Gaming.
2013 was when the prize pool of the International started increasing drastically. This was due to the Dota 2 community being able to contribute to the prize pool. During this year, Alliance bagged the prize pool for the International which ballooned to 2.8 million USD.
In 2014, the prize pool exploded to a whopping 10 million USD and was won by Newbee. As the years went by the prize pool would keep taking huge leaps with an 18 million USD prize pool in 2015 (won by Evil Geniuses) and a 20 million USD prize pool in 2016 (secured by Wings).
The International 10
The International 10 is the tenth annual edition of the tournament. It was scheduled for August 18 to August 23, 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden. However, due to the pandemic, it was postponed to 2021. The tournament is now set to take place from October 7 to 17, 2021 in Bucharest, Romania.
The event will feature 18 teams and boasts the largest prize pool yet with 40 million USD.
Over the years, the prize pool for The International Dota tournament has grown a lot. Back in 2011, people already considered the 1.6 million USD prize pool game-changing, but that figure now pales in comparison to the prize pool today.
It is expected that as the game grows, the prize pool will get even bigger. Thanks to innovations like the battle pass and esports betting, there is now more money in esports than ever before.