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Esports

Gabe Newell reveals the location for Dota 2's The International 2026

We now know the host country, city, and date.
Ben Lyons Senior Editor 16 September 2025

As the 2025 Dota 2 season has come to a close now that The International 2025 is in the books, naturally the attention shifts to the 2026 season and what Valve has planned on this front.

Already we know a few details about the coming conclusive premier event, as the host country and city, and the planned window for The International 2026 has been revealed. Shared in a video presented by Valve's Gabe Newell, we're told that The International will be returning to a former location in 2026, with the precise place being Shanghai, China. As for the date, all we are told is that it will happen in August 2026, so a tad earlier than this year's event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1jkWBf4NIQ

Are you excited for The International 2026?

Senior Editor Ben was a Senior Editor at Gamereactor UK. When he wasn’t writing, editing or filming for Gamereactor, he could usually be found playing an FPS or getting lost in a sprawling RPG.
Full profile Gamereactor author since October 2020 · 18,588 published articles
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