Valve Announces The International 2025, Returning to Germany

Valve announced the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International 2025. 

It will take place in Hamburg, Germany, at Barclays Arena, which seats 16,000 people, from Sept. 11 to Sept. 14. 

Back to Germany 

This will be the first time The International will be back in Germany since the first tournament in 2011. That International happened at Gamescom in Cologne. 

Since then, the tournament has been all over the world, including Seattle, Vancouver, Shanghai, Singapore, and Bucharest, and last year, it was in Copenhagen. 

Other Announcements 

Not only did Valve announce the location, but it announced there will be 16 teams that are a mix of invitations, and open and regional qualifiers. Details of that haven’t been announced yet. 

As for tickets and event scheduling, Valve has told fans to “stay tuned.” 

Background on Dota and The International

Dota 2 is easily one of the biggest esports worldwide. The International 2024 had a peak of 1.43 million viewers during the Grand Finals of Team Liquid and Gaimin Gladiators. These two also played in the 1win Series Dota 2 tournament. 

Last year, Valve decided there would be no in-game advertisements and sponsorships during it. 

Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid will face in multiple tournaments leading up to this, including BLAST Slam II in early February. 

In 2025, there will be many Dota 2 events, including organizers like ESL FACEIT Group. 

Dota 2 will also be involved at the Esports World Cup as PGL will host three seasons of the Wallachia competition. 

“The stars have aligned and the stage is once again being set for cosmic battle. And this time, that battle has returned to where it all began: Germany, the site of The International’s humble debut on the world stage, where it was watched in person by many tens of people,” Valve said in the announcement. 

“Now, fourteen years later, The International returns to Germany, to Hamburg’s Barclays Arena September 11th – 14th — in front of, we trust, a slightly bigger crowd this time around.”