Valve announced the dates of the qualifiers for The International 2019
Ihor MatusThe open regional qualifiers will start on 3 July, while the closed qualifiers will be on 8 July. Also the information about the dates of holding the group stage is known.
The International 2019 will be held from 15 till 25 August in Shanghai, China. The group stage will be taking place from 15 till 18 August, while the playoff — from 20 till 25 August. The holding place will be Mercedes-Benz Arena, while the prize pool will be divided by crowdfunding through Battle Pass, devoted to TI9. The competition will have a theme of ancient ruins and jungles. Eighteen teams will be taking place in the event. Twelve out of them will be qualified by the Dota Pro Circuit rating which creates the list of the best teams in the world after EPICENTER Major 2019 finishes. The other 6 slots will be taken by the teams that will pass through the qualifiers in each of the six divisions. Such teams as Team Secret, Virtus.pro, Evil Geniuses, Vici Gaming, PSG.LGD, Fnatic, Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas have provided themselves with getting to T9.