The International 9 direct invites revealed

The International is the biggest event in Dota 2 and arguably the biggest event in esports, with tens of millions of dollars won by the very best players in the world.

Last year the prize pool was $25,532,177 – the standard base prize pool of $1.6m, as contributed by Valve, and the rest being entirely crowdfunded.

This year, however, that number has already been beaten, with the pool currently set at $25,534,437 (at time of writing), with a month still to go of crowdfunding.

But who are the lucky teams that get to compete for this incredible amount of money? Here's the list of teams that have been invited to compete at the event:

• Team Secret
• Virtus.pro
• Vici Gaming
• Evil Geniuses
• Team Liquid
• PSG.LGD
• Fnatic
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• TNC Predator
• OG
• Alliance
• Keen Gaming

Open qualifiers will start on Wednesday, July 3, to round out the remaining six teams that will go on to the group stage and, with any luck, International glory.

The International usually takes place in the United States of America, namely Seattle, but last year Valve moved out slightly to Vancouver, BC to do battle for the Aegis of Champions.

This year though, we see The International move even further afield, taking place in Shanghai, China and turning many heads in the process.

In March, Epic Games announced the $30m Fortnite World Cup, making it the largest event in esports history and the grand finale of their $100m first year in esports. It's looking more and more likely that, even if not this year then very soon, Valve and The International will take back their claim as the highest paying event in esports.