The International, often abbreviated as TI, is an annual tournament organized by Valve. In 2015 Valve increased their number of hosted events, founding the Dota Major Championships which incorporates The International into its structure. The International remains the biggest and most prestigious event on the Major Championship circuit.
The first International was held in Cologne, Germany, during the trade show Gamescom, in order to unveil Dota 2 to worldwide audiences. It drew attention due to its staggering $1.6 million USD prize pool (with $1 million for the champion). 16 teams were invited to play for the title. In 2012 The International moved to Seattle, Washington. The prize pool remained at $1.6 million USD. Only 14 teams were invited; two additional slots were awarded to the winners of regional qualifiers. Since 2013, the Dota 2 community has been able to contribute to the prize pool. The total prize of The International 2013 grew to $2.8 million USD. In 2014, the prize pool surpassed $10 million. In 2016, it eclipsed $20 million. In 2017 the prize pool surpassed $24 million, making The International the biggest esports tournament in terms of prize pool.