Dota 2's The International 2013 returns to Seattle

Valve has announced the third annual The International championship for Dota 2.

2013's event returns to Seattle's Benaroya Hall, with 15 teams of five from across the world competing for the title. The five-day tournament begins on August 7.

The first team to be invited by Valve is last year's champions Invictus Gaming, with 12 more teams to be announced over the coming weeks.

Two of the remaining spots will be filled by the winners of Valve's East and West qualifiers. GDStudio will host the West qualifier from May 13 to 19, while BeyondTheSummit will handle the East qualifier from May 20 to 26.

The final spot will be awarded to the winners of a Wildcard event that takes place shortly before The International begins. The runners-up of the East and West qualifiers will be allowed to take part in the Wildcard event.

Matches will be viewable directly through the Dota 2 client, and will not require customers purchase a pass in order to watch.

Valve says it will provide more information soon for anyone looking to attend the event live.

The prize pot for this year's The International was not mentioned, but the first prize last year was $1 million dollars.