The International 2026 Dota 2: The Complete Guide to the Tournament of the Year in Shanghai
The International 2026 (TI 2026) is the fifteenth annual Dota 2 World Championship, bringing together 16 of the strongest teams on the planet. The tournament will take place in Shanghai, China, from August 13 to 23, 2026, with the playoffs culminating at the legendary Oriental Sports Center arena.
Dates and Venue
The International returns to Shanghai after seven years – the Chinese capital last hosted Dota 2's premier tournament in 2019. The competition will be held in two stages:
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Group Stage ("Road to The International"): August 13–16.
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Main Stage (Playoffs): August 20–23 at the Oriental Sports Center arena.
Tournament Format
In 2026, Valve introduced an updated competition system to make the tournament even more dynamic and unpredictable.
Group Stage (August 13–16)
16 teams will compete in a Swiss-system format. All matches are played in a best-of-3 (two wins needed) format. Following the group stage:
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Top 3 teams advance directly to the playoffs.
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Teams ranked 4th through 13th enter the elimination round.
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The remaining teams are eliminated from the tournament.
Elimination Round
From this stage, an additional five teams will earn spots in the playoffs, after which the tournament will continue with the top 8 teams.
Playoffs (August 20–23)
The final part of the tournament will feature a double-elimination bracket. All matches except the grand final are played in a best-of-3 format. The grand final will be the culmination of the tournament and will be played in a best-of-5 (three wins needed) format.
Prize Pool
The base prize pool for The International 2026 is **$1,600,000**. Unlike the record-breaking $40 million in 2021, Valve has returned to a more modest base amount in recent years. There is currently no announcement regarding additional crowdfunding contributions through in-game purchases.
Participants
The International 2026 will feature 16 teams. Seven received direct invitations from Valve, while the remaining nine qualified through regional qualifiers.
Direct Invitations:
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Aurora Gaming
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BoomBoys (BetBoom Team)
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Team Falcons – reigning The International 2025 champion
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Team Liquid
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Tundra Esports (competing as 1w Team)
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Xtreme Gaming
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Team Yandex
Regional Qualifier Winners:
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Europe: Team Spirit, Team Vision (PARIVISION), HULIGANI (L1GA TEAM), Nigma Galaxy
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China: Team Resilience, Vici Gaming
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Southeast Asia: OG
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North America: GamerLegion
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South America: LGD Gaming
The International 2025 Champion: Team Falcons
The defending champion of The International is Team Falcons, who won TI 2025 in Hamburg. In the grand final, the European squad narrowly defeated China's Xtreme Gaming with a 3:2 scoreline.
This victory brought Team Falcons **$1,145,108** from the total prize pool of $2.69 million. For Oliver "Skiter" Lepko and Jing "Sneyking" Wu, this title was their second career win – they previously won The International 2022 as part of Tundra Esports. Russian player Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak also secured his first TI championship title.
Team Falcons enter TI 2026 as one of the main favorites, holding the status of reigning champions.
Where to Follow the Tournament
Don't miss a single match of The International 2026! You can follow all the action of Dota 2's biggest tournament of the year on the leading Dota 2 portal – DLTV.
DLTV provides comprehensive coverage of the tournament, including:
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Real-time livescore – up-to-the-minute match results as they happen
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Full match schedules with accurate start times
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Detailed statistics for teams and players
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Official streams and match VODs
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Up-to-date information on brackets, team rosters, and results
DLTV is your primary source for professional Dota 2. Stay at the center of the action and follow The International 2026 with the leading Dota 2 portal!
The International 2026 promises to be one of the most exciting events in the world of esports. Don't miss the start of the tournament on August 13 and stay updated with DLTV!