A solution was found and Dota 2 fans, along with the entire competitive scene, can rejoice as The International 10 was confirmed to take place this year after Stockholm, Sweden declined to host it.

After being postponed for a whole year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The International 10 was supposed to take place this coming August in Sweden. However, about one month and a half away from the start date, the biggest esports tournament was not recognized by the local authorities as a premiere sports competition and the whole event had to be put on another halt until Valve and PGL would find a new solution.

TI10 will be pushed further within just one month, but it will stay in Europe, as initially planned. The whole event will be hosted on PGL’s home turf, Bucharest, Romania at the National Arena.

Group stage matches will unfold October 7 - 10 with the playoffs set to kick off on the 12th of the month and the grand finals scheduled for October 17.

“We are grateful for the partnership we have formed with Romania and the city of Bucharest, and very much look forward to gathering with the global Dota 2 community, both in-person and virtually, to celebrate the elite players and amazing fandom at The International. Prepare yourselves. At long last, the battle begins,” said Valve in their official announcement.

National Arena from Bucharest, Romania is the largest stadium in the capital city, with a capacity of 55,000 seats. Although all nations are still under multiple restrictions imposed by the coronavirus, the National Arena from Bucharest, Romania has just hosted earlier this month a couple of Euro 2020 games and it welcomed live audiences from all over the world at a 50% of the total capacity.

Valve’s official announcement gives a small hint for the possibility of having TI10 held with a live audience as well, however, no details were revealed just yet on the specifics or the tickets sale.

The International 10 to be held this October in Bucharest, Romania