The International 2026 — Dota 2's 15th anniversary heads to Shanghai Aug 13-23
The International 2026 — Dota 2's 15th anniversary tournament — runs August 13-23 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center with a $1.6M+ base prize pool, 16 teams, and a redesigned fantasy league with coach roles. Here's the full preview.
The International 2026 (TI15) — Dota 2's 15th-anniversary world championship — opens August 13 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center and runs through August 23, with 16 teams competing for a base prize pool of $1.6M plus 30% of the new Compendium sales.
What's new for TI 2026
A redesigned Compendium
Valve shipped the TI 2026 Compendium on August 1, the first major update to the Compendium system since TI10 (2021). New features:
- Reworked fantasy league: players build
a team of 5 pros (2 supports, 2 side lane players, 1 mid) rather than the old 5-of-any-role format. A new coach slot adds a 6th position with unique modifiers
- Predictions: bracket predictions for
the group stage are open until August 13, 05:00 Moscow time (00:00 UTC)
- Team and talent support bundles for
all 16 participating teams plus 100+ Valve workshop artists. 50% of bundle sales go to the teams and talent, 30% to the prize pool
- Gold tier team support bundle includes
a new upgradable team statue for the team's base
- Tyrian Regalia treasure: 5 updated
Immortal items, plus a terrain token with 6 terrain choices (Reef's Edge, Immortal Gardens, and 4 others)
16 teams
The 16-team field is locked. The top 4 from the EWC 2026 Dota 2 event (Paris, Aug 8-10) get direct seeds, plus 12 from the regional qualifiers:
| Region | Slots |
|---|---|
| China (DPC) | 4 |
| Western Europe (DPC) | 3 |
| Eastern Europe / CIS | 2 |
| Southeast Asia | 2 |
| North America | 2 |
| South America | 1 |
| EWC 2026 direct seeds | 4 |
EWC 2026 is the first time a third-party event has fed direct seeds to TI.
Gameplay patch
The Compendium shipped alongside a small gameplay update (post-7.39e). Notable changes:
- Mid-lane XP bounty curve flattened — solo
mid XP differential is 5-7% smaller in laning stage
- Two neutral item balance changes
- Bug fixes to Aghanim's Scepter upgrades
on 4 heroes
The full patch notes are in the Steam Community announcement from August 1.
Where to watch
- Twitch: dota2ti
(main English stream)
- YouTube: Dota 2 official channel
- Steam: Live in the Dota 2 client
- Russian + Spanish: Valve is accepting
broadcast partner applications via [email protected] until
All matches will be on patch 7.39e for the duration of the tournament.
Shanghai venue
The Shanghai Oriental Sports Center is a 18,000-seat indoor arena in Pudong, the same venue that hosted TI11 (2022). Valve chose Shanghai again because of the strong Chinese Dota 2 fanbase and the local infrastructure for international events.
What's at stake
- Base prize pool: $1.6M (down from
TI10's $40M peak, but stable since 2023)
- Compendium contribution: 30% of all
Compendium sales, no cap. The community has historically pushed the TI prize pool past the base by 50-100% via Compendium sales
- The Aegis of Champions: the iconic
trophy awarded to the winners
- DPC 2026-27 points: TI 2026 is the
final event of the 2025-26 DPC season, and the top performers get direct invites to the next Major
FAQ
When is The International 2026?
August 13-23, 2026. Group stage Aug 13-15, main event Aug 17-23.
Where is TI 2026?
Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Pudong, Shanghai, China.
How much is the TI 2026 prize pool?
$1.6M base, plus 30% of Compendium sales. Final pool typically lands $2-3M by tournament end.
How does the EWC feed into TI?
The top 4 finishers at EWC 2026 Dota 2 (Paris, Aug 8-10) get direct seeds to the TI 2026 group stage.
What changed in the fantasy league?
Team of 5 pros (2 support, 2 side lane, 1 mid) plus a 6th coach slot with unique modifiers. Bracket predictions close August 13 at 00:00 UTC.
How can I watch TI 2026 for free?
Twitch (dota2ti), YouTube (Dota 2 channel), and in the Dota 2 client. All matches are free to watch.
What's the new Tyrian Regalia treasure?
5 updated Immortal items, plus a terrain token with 6 choices. Available through the Compendium and as a separate bundle.
Sources: Dota 2 Steam Community announcement, Liquipedia Dota 2 Patches.
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