Justin Bieber is set to interrupt The International 2022

The small subset of Dota 2 fans who both love Justin Bieber and plan to attend The International 2022 will have the best week of their lives come October.

The International 2022 is changing up a ton of things about Dota 2. The event’s last chance qualifiers are back, the annual battle pass will be late, and there’s a strange four-day gap in the middle of the playoffs. This initial reveal struck many as strange, but now we know why the last chunk of the tournament will have its own week. The impetus for at least the last of these changes may be pop music icon Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber’s Justice World Tour has a concert scheduled for October 25 at the Singapore National Stadium, which is the exact same venue as The International 2022. For Beliebers who want something to do in Singapore between all the Dota 2, tickets are currently on sale.

Based on the schedule, it seems that the Singapore National Stadium will completely clean out after the matches on October 23, set up for a Justin Bieber concert, take down the Bieber equipment, then create The International stage all over again. The two events could also share some infrastructure elements.

Due to this discrepancy, The International will have an unusual mid-playoffs break from October 24 to 28. Regular play, presumably the event’s top four, will continue on October 29. This is very strange and a big break from the normal continuous play schedule. The gap may cause further headaches to fans who missed out on tickets due to scalpers. This altered schedule was likely decided between Valve and the managers of both Singapore National Stadium and Justin Bieber’s concert tour.

Will Justin Bieber perform at The International?

No, Justin Bieber is not scheduled to perform at The International 2022. 

The two events will share a stadium, but they will not happen at the same time. Dota 2 fans will not hear pop songs in the background of pro games. Justin Bieber fans will not hear Owen “ODPixel” Davies screaming about Tidehunter ultimates. The Bieber concert takes place on October 25, which is during the mid-playoffs break. 

However, there’s still a small chance that Justin Bieber makes a surprise appearance at The International. Valve has traditionally invited music acts to hype up the crowd, especially for the opening ceremony. Violinist Lindsey Stirling and EDM artist Deadmau5 have both made appearances. Justin Bieber isn’t a typical person of interest for Dota 2 players, but it’s tough to predict Valve.