The International 2024: location, participants, tournament start date

Valve has finally announced The International 2024, the Dota 2 World Championship. This year, the developers provided early details about the tournament much sooner than usual, without waiting until May. It's worth noting that this Dota 2 season is without the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), so organizers have made several changes to the championship rules.

The first details about TI13 have been published on the official Dota 2 website, where Valve shared information about the main esports event in this discipline.

Start Date of The International 2024

At the moment, it is known that the tournament is set to begin in the fall of 2024, specifically in September. However, Valve has not yet announced the exact date. Interestingly, this year's Dota 2 World Championship is scheduled to start earlier than usual. For example, The International 2023 took place in the latter half of October and extended into November.

Teams will have almost a month gap between the conclusion of Riyadh Master 2024 and the start of TI13 for rest and preparation for the tournament. Additionally, there is nearly a month between the World Championship and DreamLeague Season 24 for teams to rest.

The International 2024 Location

According to Valve's statement, this year's Dota 2 World Championship will be held in Europe. If The International 2023 took place in Seattle, USA, The International 2024 will be in Copenhagen, Denmark.

According to Liquipedia, the playoffs of The International 2024 will be held at the Royal Arena, which can accommodate up to 13,000 spectators. Notably, this venue has hosted major esports competitions several times, including Blast Premier Fall Final 2021-2023 for CS:GO. Tickets for the final part of the World Championship are yet to be priced.

Participants in The International 2024

Valve has changed the rules for The International 2024, and now, instead of 20 participants, only the top 16 teams will qualify for the tournament. Changes also affected direct invitations to the tournament due to the absence of the DPC in this Dota 2 season.

According to Valve's statement, they will carefully analyze the performance of teams in major Dota 2 tournaments. It is likely that victories in significant interregional LAN tournaments will be crucial. The victory at tournaments like BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 may carry more weight for a team's chances to receive an invitation to TI13 than winning an online tournament like DreamLeague Season 22.

It is possible that direct invitations will go to teams leading the EPT ratings, which closely resemble the DPC points system. The exact number of teams receiving invitations is unknown, but other teams will have a chance to secure a slot through regional qualifiers.

Tickets for The International 2024

Considering that Valve has not even announced the exact start date of TI13, the cost of tickets for the Dota 2 World Championship remains unknown. However, it is likely to be roughly comparable to the prices from the previous year, where a ticket for one day of the playoffs cost $99. The cost of tickets for the final part of the tournament will probably be significantly higher. For The International 2023, three-day passes for the grand final at Climate Pledge Arena cost $699.

Nevertheless, considering that The International 2024 is taking place in Europe this year, prices may be slightly lower, but this remains speculation until the official announcement of ticket prices.

To recap, Valve has announced The International 2024 and provided fans with the first details about the premier esports event of the year for Dota 2.