The International 2020 is headed to Sweden’s Ericsson Globe

As The International 2019 was coming to a close in Shanghai, information on next year’s edition of The International was revealed. 

Valve announced that next year’s Dota 2 championship would take place in Stockholm, Sweden. The city’s mayor, Anna Konig Jerlmyr, said that Stockholm was “honored” to host the 10th International Dota 2 tournament in an announcement video that played at TI9. 

“The International is a celebration. The celebration of the enormous power of professional Dota, and of the community that has taken part in the journey. In Stockholm, the passion for Dota runs deep. We are honored to host the world in cheering on your favorite teams while paying tribute to a decade of champions as they compete for the most prestigious trophy in all of esports,” she declared. 

This is the first International tournament held in Europe since TI1, which took place in Cologne, Germany. It only makes sense to come full circle 10 years later. Dates have yet to be announced. 

TI10 being held at the Ericsson Globe

During the announcement video for The International 2020, fans became fixated on the large, white, spherical structure with the setting sun reflecting off the top. That is the Ericsson Globe, where The International 2020 will be held. 

Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe is the world’s largest hemispherical building. Designed to serve as the sun in the world’s largest permanent model of the solar system, the building also referred to as Globen is 361 feet in diameter and 279 feet high. The spacious sphere has a seating capacity of 16,000 for shows and concerts. Its all-time capacity record is 17,303 attendees for a 2018 Metallica concert. 

The International 2020 not the only esports event at Ericsson Globe

While the Dota 2 tournament is sure to be a special occasion, the Ericsson Globe has hosted many other iconic events since it opened in 1989. This includes a number of esports tournaments.

Among that lot is the Starcraft 2 World Championship Series European Finals in 2012, which was played on StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty. The event closed out a tournament series that included more than 30 other live events. 

More recently, DreamHack Masters Stockholm came to the Globen. The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament saw North defeat Astralis in the finals for the $100,000 top prize.

Karin Wanngård, Stockholm’s mayor at the time, discussed the significance of hosting the CSGO tournament. 

“Stockholm is one of the world’s most important tech cities, and we have established ourselves as a prominent event city. We have a long tradition of esports that we are now building on,” she said in a statement. 

And of course, Sweden is home to a number of prominent esports organizations including Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Alliance. The country has been a deep well of esports talent over the years, which has seen Swedish players rise to the top of every major esports title.

Of course, much of the Ericsson Globe’s history is wrapped up in traditional sports. Ice hockey is actually the Globe’s primary function, as it’s home to the AIK, Djurgardens IF, and Hammarby IF. The arena has been home to major ice hockey events, including the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1989, 1995, 2012, and 2013. 

The Ericsson Globe has also hosted a variety of other sporting events, including World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and 2004, the Men’s World Floorball Championships in 1996 and 2006, the European Men’s Basketball Championships in 2003, the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2012, and, most recently, the 2015 European Figure Skating Championships. 

Ericsson Globe’s musical history

The Ericsson Globe has hosted some of the biggest bands in music.

In 1989, Globen was home to Pink Floyd during their Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour. In 1990, Eric Clapton’s Journeyman World Tour stopped at the Ericsson Globe, followed by Guns N’ Roses in 1991. 

Janet Jackson’s world tour stopped came by in 1995 and Tina Turner took her Wildest Dreams Tour to the same venue in 1996. Spice Girls’ Spiceworld Tour took to the Ericcson Globe stage in 1998, followed by the Backstreet Boys in 1999 and Britney Spears in 2000. 

As the Globen became more and more well known for its big-name guests, it was used for the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2000. Eminem’s Anger Management Tour stopped by a year later, then Shania Twain in 2004. That was the same year that Britney Spears returned to the Stockholm venue. She also returned in 2009, the same year that the Globen became a stop for Metallica, Green Day, and Tina Turner. 

In the past 10 years, many superstars have graced the Ericsson Globe’s stage. This includes Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, and Justin Bieber. This year, Ariana Grande used the Globen during her Sweetener World Tour and Nicki Minaj did the same for hers.