EEU teams take the lead — results of Day 1 of TI 2026
TEAM VISION initially won one map against Team Resilience, and the series looked set to end in a clean sweep. However, a stronger draft from the Chinese side on the second map allowed them to come back from a 15,000-gold deficit and level the series. On the third map, TEAM VISION did not repeat their mistakes and comfortably secured the victory.
The much-anticipated matchup between Team Spirit and Xtreme Gaming ended in a clean sweep for the Spirit. Many expected the Chinese team to deliver the same surprising and flawless performance they showed at The International 2025, but the opposite happened: Xtreme Gaming played very poorly on the first map and deservedly lost it. In the second game, Larl picked the new meta powerhouse Io for the mid lane, building Aghanim's Scepter. Thanks to the massive damage from his second ability and incredible healing, the hero allowed games to end quickly. Team Spirit did not have the best start to the game, but a series of excellent fights and a brilliant performance from not me, who stole Cold Embrace from the enemy Winter Wyvern and saved his teammates from death six times, helped Team Spirit take the second map as well.
The series between BoomBoys and Iron Wing saw a record set: BoomBoys pulled off the biggest comeback in The International history, overcoming a 35,000-gold deficit to win the map and secure a 2-0 record in the Swiss system.
After trading maps, TEAM VISION and Team Falcons set the record for the longest match at The International 2026. The third map lasted 94 minutes and 38 seconds, with TEAM VISION eventually taking the victory. Satanic delivered an incredible performance on Shadow Fiend: while his entire team was behind in gold, he was ahead of both his teammates and opponents in net worth. His incredible farming allowed TEAM VISION to drag the game out for so long and eventually win it. Satanic dealt 130,000 damage over the course of the map.
The International 2026 is taking place from August 13 to August 23 as a LAN event in Shanghai, with a prize pool of more than $2 million. Follow all the latest news on our Telegram-channel.