It begins today. The main event of The International 2015 is upon us and 16 teams will meet at KeyArena in Seattle to determine the best Dota 2 team in the world. Teams are competing for their share of over $18 million in prize money and the sponsorship deals that await the winner.
Dota 2 live stream: Schedule and how to watch The International 2015 online on Monday
A year of preparation has led up to this week.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The field breaks down like this: six teams are from China, three are made up of a variety of nationalities, two are from South Korea, two from Russia and one from Ukraine, Malaysia and the USA, respectively. Evil Geniuses are representing the Stars and Stripes at TI:5, and it might be the best chance a U.S. team has had at The International. They are sitting in the winner’s bracket after a strong showing in the group stage and will compete later in the week.
Day 1 of competition opens with a bang as LGD Gaming from China faces Team Empire from Russia in a best-of-three Winner’s Bracket series. LGD looks even more dangerous than the team it fielded in 2014, and this could be an early glimpse into one of the teams that could be in the Grand Final.
How to watch
Broadcast begins live at 1 p.m. ET and will continue throughout the afternoon until all games are played.
Streaming is available online via Twitch.tv, YouTube, dota2.com, in-game through Dota 2 and streaming live on ESPN3.
Here is the full schedule for Monday
Upper Bracket
LGD Gaming vs. Team Empire (Best of 3)
CDEC Gaming vs. Cloud9 (Best of 3)
Lower Bracket
MVP Phoenix vs. Newbee (Best of 1)
Vici Gaming vs. Natus Vincere (Best of 1)
Virtus Pro vs. Fnatic (Best of 1)
Invictus Gaming vs. MVP Hot6 (Best of 1)
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