Why the first Major in 2021 will be in Singapore

At the end of January, information appeared on the website of the ONE Esports tournament operator that, together with PGL, it will organize the first Major in 2021, which probably will be in Singapore. Although the announcement was soon removed, Valve didn't comment on this. The public was outraged by the choice of the organizers and venue. Let's try to figure out what other options existed.

At the moment, we know that the tournament will run from March 25 to April 4 in a LAN format. However, it is unknown whether the audience will present.

China as the venue for the first Major

When we speak about a LAN tournament location, the first place we think about is China. It isn't surprising, and last year's World League of Legends 2020 World Cup is an example. At the end of 2020, Dota 2 also featured three LAN tournaments: China Dota2 Pro Cup Season 1, Season 2, and Huya Dota2 Winter Invitational. This year, China is the only region of the first DPC season, where all matches are taking place at the stadium.

The disadvantage of holding a LAN tournament in China can be biased against some countries towards it, which entails a visa denial.

South Korea

The second option that comes to mind is South Korea. The country shows some of the best indicators in the fight against the pandemic. This week, Incheon will host the largest LAN tournament in the PUBG game — PUBG Global Invitational.S 2021. Besides, LAN competitions in StarCraft 2 are already being held there.

One of the disadvantages of choosing this particular country is the absence of an extensive Dota 2 fanbase there, and as a result, the absence of organizers who understand the specifics of the discipline. The second point, which is not encouraging, is the closure of borders from Asian countries. At the moment, it is difficult for Chinese and Taiwanese players to get into South Korea.

CIS (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus)

This option is the most discussed on the Internet. Despite the maximum activity of WePlay and Epic Esports in the difficult 2020, the tournament won't be held there. A well-known commentator and analyst, Vitalii "v1lat" Volochai, has exhaustively expressed himself about this:

If everything is clear with Minsk, then Russia and Ukraine won't get a Major because Valve and people in the West don't believe in our COVID numbers: they look at the Champions League match in Krasnodar and go nuts, watch the Euroleague basketball match in Moscow, and again go nuts. They look at sheer nonsense about anti-covid solutions in Ukraine and, again, go nuts. Because the way our countries go through a pandemic is a shame, a disgrace, and a blatant lie about statistics.

Why Singapore?

Firstly, at the moment, it is one of the largest centers of congestion of Dota 2 fans: probably the third largest after China and the CIS.

Secondly, the country's government is ready to cooperate with organizers, help them with the event, and create an isolated field for participants.

Third, Valve relies on PGL and One Esports' successful experience during the ONE Esports Dota 2 World Pro Invitational Singapore in 2019 and has already planned to host last year's ONE Esports Dota 2 Invitational Jakarta there.

And fourthly, at the moment, a visa to Singapore can be obtained without much effort. The main thing is to follow all the precautions.