The International 2021

The tournament took place in Bucharest, Romania, with the main event held behind closed doors at the Arena Națională due to restrictions on gatherings in the city.

The game's map has three roughly symmetric "lanes" between each base, with a number of defensive towers protecting each side.

[1] The event follows the postponement of The International 2020, which was originally set to be held at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, that year before being pushed back indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[7] The event was originally scheduled to include a live audience who were required to wear face masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend.

[7] However, Valve announced a week prior to the event that only teams, production staff, and other essential personnel would be allowed to attend due to rising COVID cases in the region and newly implemented restrictions set by the Bucharest government, with them refunding all ticket sales.

[8] The International 2021 featured a series of pre-qualifying tournaments running throughout the first half of 2021, known as the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC), with the top 12 ranking teams receiving direct invitations.