Countries to The International 10 may take place
A few days ago, Valve announced that the 10th anniversary of The International in Sweden is in great doubt. Unfortunately, the country's authorities didn't help and denied the status of the high-level sports event. The developer said that they were already looking for a new venue for his tournament.
It's worth understanding that there is very little time left before the scheduled start, and many countries have their pitfalls. For example, some have difficulties with getting visas, some cannot fly due to coronavirus restrictions, some don't have proper infrastructure. So we've taken a few countries that would be most likely to hold The International 10.
The International 10 stay in Sweden
Before we talk about the other countries, we need to talk about the current situation in Sweden. Valve has made every effort the event took place in this country: the venue was chosen, the dates were booked, preparations started. The stumbling block is the refusal of the authorities to assist in quickly getting visas.
But just a couple of days ago, the news broke that the Swedish parliament voted no confidence in the current prime minister. This means that the government must resign within a week or call a by-election. Political processes are a long business, but there is little hope that the new government will be more loyal to Valve and help with The International 10.
UPD. 24 June, Swedish E-Sport Association announced that Valve completely abandoned the idea of holding The International 10 in their country.
Germany expressed its wish to hold The International 10
The German Esports Federation ESBD was the first to offer its candidacy for The International 10 after Valve's letter. And it is one of the most likely venues. The country has been declining incidence of coronavirus, Esports is equated to a sport, and getting visas will be on an expedited basis. In addition, many venues in Germany could host a tournament of this scale.
But there's one problem - the wish to hold the tournament was expressed by the Esports Federation, not the government. Restrictions on entry to the country remain tight. In May, Germany was ready to send its players to a 2-week quarantine after arriving from the Champions League matches.
Most obvious choice is China
It's clear from Valve's announcement that the developer intends to hold the tournament in Europe, but the possibility of a move to another continent remains. Last year, the Shanghai authorities were ready to host The International and even offered to organize a dome, where players would spend a month and a half in isolation from the rest of the world. Riot Games agreed to China's terms and held Worlds 2020, where 22 teams arrived. Unfortunately, 2 Asian teams could not come because of restrictions in their countries.
This year we already saw that DPC: China was held in a studio, and some of the i-League 2021 matches were on LAN. Therefore, the choice of China as the venue for The International 10 seems most obvious. The country's precautions are similar to other countries, and the authorities of the cities are interested in holding major Esports events.
Russia and Ukraine
Representatives of Epic Esports (Russia) and WePlay (Ukraine) presented their countries as venues for The International 10 after Valve's letter. For the mass viewer, this will be a celebration since the time zone of both countries is close to ideal for many Dota 2 fans. But for Valve, it's a big risk.
In the case of Russia, the main problem is the increase in infected people. Over the past few months, the situation has only gotten worse. Another difficulty is arriving in the country. Everyone arriving must have been vaccinated with domestic Sputnik-V, and vaccines from other countries are not accepted.
In Ukraine, the disease situation stabilizes, with numbers fluctuating between 500 and 1,000 in recent weeks. The recent WePlay AniMajor 2021 is an excellent example of a country ready to hold such a big event. All of the Major's participants arrived safely in the country, and there were no contamination cases. But some players were unhappy with the conditions of the Major.
Return to the United States
Unlike previous venues, there are minimal discussions about the return of The International 10 in the United States. But experience in other disciplines and professional sports shows that it is possible.
Last week the Call of Duty League 2021: Stage 4 Major ended in Texas. The event took place without spectators but with the total attendance of all teams. Also off-line is the League of Legends Summer Split. The traditional sport, basketball and hockey, has long welcomed spectators to its games. Valve may want to bring back the biggest tournament in the U.S. and take it personally.
In our opinion, these are the most likely places to hold The International on the announced dates. Other country options are less realistic, and Gabe Newell's new home, where he wanted to hold The International earlier this year — New Zealand — is 100% not going to hold the tournament, as he stated in an interview.