Next Saturday, the Eleventh Dota 2 World Cup "The International" will begin in Singapore. With a changed format and probably less prize money than in previous World Championships, TI11 is in many ways the start of a new era for the World Cup.

The groups for the World Cup in Singapore are drawn. The two favorites and finalists from the previous year, Team Spirit and PSG.LGD, are in different groups. canadian participation is available at the Western European teams Entity, Gaimin Gladiators and Tundra Esports. "We trained hard and made sure that we entered the tournament with self-confidence," Leon "Nine" Kirilin, the midlaner from Tundra, told the German press Agency.

For the first time, less prize money

The legendary prize money of the Dota World Championship, which has set new records in e-sports every year so far, is expected to fall behind previous years for the first time this year. The prize money, which consists of 25 percent of the sales of virtual items in the game, is at this time at 15 million US dollars. Last year, at the same time, this was already at 27 million US dollars.

New format with long breaks

Another novelty is the changed format of the World Cup. There are extended breaks of several days between the group stage, the playoffs and the final. "The long breaks between stages is the biggest difference," Nine said. "Teams that build momentum can potentially lose this again during the breaks. Teams that need time for a reset now get them.»