The world#146;s best Dota 2 teams have descended onto Valve#146;s headquarters in Seattle to compete for what is now in prize money. Teams have flown in from around the world, including 2011 International Champions Na#146;Vi from Ukraine, 2012 International Champions Invictus Gaming from China, and 2013 favorites Alliance from Sweden.

In addition to the main tournament, Valve will also be hosting a 1v1 Solo Championship, and an All-Star match with players voted on by the fans. Star players competing in both include Danil "Dendi" Ishutin from Na#146;Vi, Luo "Ferrari" Feichi from Invictus Gaming, Jonathan "Loda" Berg from Alliance, and Chai "Mushi" Yee Fung from Orange Esports. A full list of teams and competitors can be found on the .

#146;Despite the importance of the tournament itself, I think players will remember the All Stars and 1v1 matches with great fondness,#146; Dota 2 analyst Bruno Carlucci told GameSpot. #146;One can only imagine how much some of these legends dreamt of playing with each other on a LAN environment, or even, for some of the youngest competitors, face their idols in a 1v1 and prove themselves to the world as the best individually skilled player.#146;

The prize pool, which continues to increase by $2.50 with every purchase of the , is the largest amount ever given out for a single-event in competitive gaming/eSports history.

#146;TI3 is already the tournament with the biggest prize pool in eSports,#146; Carlucci said. #146;With such an amazing start in stream numbers, I'm betting it will soon become the biggest tournament in stream viewer numbers as well.#146;

Last year Riot#146;s Season 2 World Championships peaked at 1.1 million concurrent viewers watching online only, making it the most watched competitive gaming event of all time.

The International 3 Main Event will begin on August 7 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington. The entire event will be streamed exclusively on Twitch.tv. will be at the event to sit down with Valve regarding the release of Dota 2 and The International, and provide live coverage all week long.