Which city hosted the first International in 2011?

Cologne hosted the first International in 2011. The tournament was staged at Koelnmesse during Gamescom, the large annual gaming convention held in the German city.

The inaugural event ran from August 17 to 21, 2011, and served two purposes: it introduced Dota 2 to a public audience and established The International as Valve’s premier competitive tournament. The choice of Gamescom gave the new game an international audience from its very first showcase.

Ukraine-based Natus Vincere defeated China’s EHOME 3–1 in the final. The event’s $1.6 million prize pool, including a $1 million winner’s prize, helped make the tournament an early landmark in esports history.

A frequent mix-up comes from later editions. The International moved to Seattle for 2012 and remained associated with the city for several years, while Singapore and Shanghai hosted much later tournaments. Those locations are connected to the event’s history, but they did not host the first edition.