The International 2026 starts tomorrow — Dota 2 TI15 in Shanghai

The International 2026 (TI15) — Dota 2's annual world championship — kicks off August 13, 2026 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. The tournament runs through August 23 and features 16 teams competing for a $1.6 million prize pool.

This is the first TI held in China since TI9 (Shanghai, 2019) and the 15th International since Valve launched the circuit in 2011.

The format

TI 2026 has three stages:

Group Stage (Aug 13-16) — 16 teams in a Swiss-system bracket,

5 rounds, all matches Best of 3. Top 3 teams advance directly to Playoffs. Teams placed 4th-13th play an additional elimination round (5 Bo3 matches on Aug 16). The bottom 3 teams are eliminated

Playoffs (Aug 20-23) — 8 teams in a Double Elimination

bracket. All matches Bo3 except the Grand Final (Bo5)

Grand Final (Aug 23) — Best of 5 series to crown the TI 2026

champion

Total of ~80 matches across 10 days, with the opening matches starting at 02:00 UTC on Aug 13.

The 16 teams

Seven teams earned direct invitations from Valve based on the 2025/2026 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season standings. Nine more qualified through regional qualifiers:

Direct invitations (7)

Team Falcons (Europe) — the 2024 TI champions, favorites

for 2026

Team Liquid (Europe) — the 2017 TI champions, consistent

top-3 since 2024

1w (Europe) — formerly Tundra Esports, rebranded in 2026
Aurora Gaming (Russia) — the 2025 TI finalists
Team Yandex (Russia) — new team, strong 2026 season
BoomBoys (Russia) — formerly BetBoom Team, consistent top-6
Xtreme Gaming (China) — the host region's strongest hope

Regional qualifiers (9)

Team Spirit (Europe qualifier) — the 2021 and 2023 TI

champions, strong 2026 run

Team Vision (Europe qualifier) — formerly PARIVISION, top-4

in 2025

Nigma Galaxy (Europe qualifier) — KuroKy and Miracle

together again

HULIGANI (Europe qualifier) — formerly L1GA TEAM, the

Cinderella story of 2026

OG (Southeast Asia qualifier) — the two-time TI champions

(2018, 2019)

GamerLegion (North America qualifier) — Europe's NA

transplant

LGD Gaming (South America qualifier) — the legendary Chinese

org's new home

Team Resilience (China qualifier) — the new Chinese roster
Vici Gaming (China qualifier) — the historic Chinese org

The Russian / CIS presence is the strongest in TI history — 6 of 16 teams are from the former CIS region (Aurora, Yandex, BoomBoys, Spirit, Team Vision, HULIGANI). The 2026 qualifier was merged across East and West Europe for the first time, with 4 slots going to the combined region.

The Aug 13 schedule (UTC)

The opening day features 8 matches played simultaneously across four official broadcasts:

02:00 UTC: Team Falcons vs LGD Gaming, Iron Wing vs Nigma

Galaxy, BoomBoys vs OG, TEAM VISION vs Team Resilience

05:00 UTC: Team Spirit vs Xtreme Gaming, Team Liquid vs

Vici Gaming, Aurora Gaming vs GamerLegion, Team Yandex vs HULIGANI

08:00 UTC: Four matches between teams with 1-0 records (the

bracket is determined by the previous matches)

All matches are Best of 3 (first to 2 wins). The matches are broadcast on:

Twitch: twitch.tv/dota2ti (official), plus regional broadcasts
YouTube: youtube.com/dota2 (official)
Chinese: Douyu, Huya, Bilibili
Russian: twitch.tv/dota2ti_ru (CYCLOPPS cast)
Spanish: twitch.tv/dota2ti_es (ESL cast)

The favorites

Team Falcons — the 2024 TI champions, the consensus 2026

favorite. Skiter, Cr1t-, and ATF are the strongest core in the format

Team Spirit — the 2021 and 2023 champions, the most-

decorated active roster. Yatoro and Collapse are the most consistent duo

Team Liquid — the 2025 third-place finishers, the most-

well-rounded team. Neta + 33 are the best-positioned veteran duo

Xtreme Gaming — the host region's top seed, the wild card

pick. The Chinese crowd will be loud

What it means for the meta

TI 2026 is the first major tournament after the 7.41 patch (Dota 2's Crownfall Act III, launched Aug 25). The patch introduced 2 new heroes and a major meta overhaul. The teams have had ~3 weeks to practice on the patch.

The expected meta:

Anti-mage and Phantom Assassin nerfed in 7.41 (carry heroes

took a hit)

Death Prophet and Leshrac buffed (mid-lane spellcasters

are back)

Tidehunter and Mars as top offlaners (7.41 buffed strength

offlaners)

Chen and Enchantress as top 4-positions (Chen rework in

7.41 was a major buff)

How to watch

Twitch: twitch.tv/dota2ti (English)
YouTube: youtube.com/dota2 (English)
Twitch (regional): twitch.tv/dota2ti_ru (Russian), twitch.tv/

dota2ties (Spanish), twitch.tv/dota2ticn (Chinese on Douyu mirror)

In-person: Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai. Limited tickets

sold out in 90 seconds when released July 1

Why it matters

TI 2026 is the biggest Dota 2 event since TI10 (2021) in terms of in-person attendance. Shanghai's Oriental Sports Center holds 18,000 people, and the Playoff days (Aug 20-23) are expected to be sold out.

For Dota 2 as a game, TI 2026 is a make-or-break moment:

Player count has been declining since 2022
The Dota Pro Circuit was restructured in 2024
Valve has invested heavily in Dota 2 esports for 2026
The Shanghai event is the first major live TI since COVID

A successful TI 2026 could reinvigorate the Dota 2 player base. A failure could accelerate the decline.

FAQ

When does TI 2026 start?

August 13, 2026 at 02:00 UTC. The Group Stage runs Aug 13-16, Playoffs Aug 20-23, Grand Final Aug 23.

How much is the TI 2026 prize pool?

$1.6 million. Distributed across the top 8 finishers. The champion takes ~40% ($640k), the runner-up ~15% ($240k), the top-4 ~$120k each.

Where is TI 2026 held?

The Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. First time TI has been held in China since TI9 (2019).

Who are the favorites?

Team Falcons (2024 TI champions), Team Spirit (2021 + 2023 champions), Team Liquid (2025 third place), and Xtreme Gaming (China's top seed).

What's the format?

Group Stage (Swiss, Aug 13-16) → Elimination Round (Aug 16) → Playoffs (Double Elimination, Aug 20-23) → Grand Final (Bo5, Aug 23).

Can I watch for free?

Yes — Twitch and YouTube official streams are free. No paywall.

How do I get in-person tickets?

Sold out in 90 seconds when released July 1. Resale markets are the only option now, with prices ranging from $200 for Group Stage days to $2000+ for Grand Final day.

What's the meta going to look like?

Anti-mage and Phantom Assassin nerfed, Death Prophet and Leshrac buffed, Tidehunter and Mars top offlaners, Chen and Enchantress top 4-positions. Expect a 7.41 meta with strong mid-lane spellcasters.

Sources: Liquipedia TI 2026, Dota 2 TI announcement, Winio TI 2026 schedule.