Valve has opened a call for applications from studios that wish to provide coverage of The International 2026, the Dota 2 world championship. The announcement was published on the developer's official website.
The organizer says the official broadcast will be available in English and Chinese, and that Russian and Spanish have been added as two additional official languages. Companies that want to cover the event in other languages may still submit separate applications, but Valve will not grant those applicants access to the physical event itself.
Valve will also accept applications from streaming platforms interested in covering the tournament. Independent content creators remain able to watch matches via Dota TV and produce commentary, provided they adhere to the community-cast rules established for such coverage.
The International 2026 will take place in Shanghai, China. The main event matches are scheduled for August 13–23, while the qualifying stage is set to run from June 9–28.
The call for applications and the language decisions clarify Valve’s approach to managing official broadcast rights and third-party coverage for the tournament, while preserving avenues for community commentators through existing in-game systems.