TI 2026 playoffs preview — Aug 20-23 at the Oriental Sports Center

The playoffs begin Aug 20

The TI 2026 group stage ended on August 16 with the Elimination Round. 8 teams advanced to the double-elimination playoff bracket at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, August 20-23. The 8 eliminated teams go home with the 9th-16th prize money ($16K-$40K).

This preview covers the bracket structure, the 3 directly-qualified teams from Day 3, the 5 Elimination Round winners, the prize pool breakdown by placement, and the four storylines to watch from Shanghai.

The playoff bracket (projected)

The 8 playoff teams are split into the upper bracket (top 4 seeds) and the lower bracket (5th-8th seeds). The upper bracket teams have a double-elimination cushion — they can lose one series and still make the Grand Final. The lower bracket teams are one loss away from elimination.

Seeding (projected):

Seeds 1-3: Directly qualified from Day 3 (Aug 15) by going 4-0 or 4-1
Seeds 4-8: Won their Aug 16 Elimination Round Bo3

Upper bracket semifinals (Aug 20):

UB SF1: Seed 1 vs Seed 4
UB SF2: Seed 2 vs Seed 3

Lower bracket round 1 (Aug 20):

LB R1A: Seed 5 vs Seed 8
LB R1B: Seed 6 vs Seed 7

The 3 directly-qualified teams

The Day 3 (Aug 15) Swiss-system bracket produced 3 teams with the 4-0 / 4-1 records needed to lock direct qualification to the upper bracket:

Seed 1: TEAM VISION (4-0)

TEAM VISION (the broadcast tag for PARIVISION) is the top seed. The team went 4-0 in the group stage with a +6 map differential, the best in the tournament. Carry Satanic was the highest-rated player in the Day 3 standings, and the team's 9Class + Dukalis support duo is the best-positioned support duo in the tournament.

Path to the Grand Final: UB SF1 → UB Final → Grand Final.

Seed 2: Nigma Galaxy (4-1)

Nigma Galaxy is the second seed after a 4-1 Day 3 run. The team's only loss came in the Round 1 0-2 to Iron Wing, after which Nigma won 4 straight. KuroKy and GH are playing like the 2018-19 TI finalists, and the team's draft discipline is the best in the tournament.

Path to the Grand Final: UB SF2 → UB Final → Grand Final.

Seed 3: Team Liquid (4-1)

Team Liquid is the third seed after a 4-1 Day 3 run. The team's only loss came in the Round 3 1-2 to Team Spirit, after which Liquid won 3 straight including a Round 5 2-1 over Aurora. miCKe and Boxi are the best carry/support duo in the EU region.

Path to the Grand Final: UB SF2 → UB Final → Grand Final.

The 5 Elimination Round winners (Aug 16)

The Aug 16 Elimination Round decided the remaining 5 playoff seeds via 5 Bo3 matches between 3-2 and 2-3 teams:

(2:00 UTC): 3-2 vs 2-3
(2:00 UTC): 3-2 vs 2-3
(5:00 UTC): 3-2 vs 2-3
(5:00 UTC): 3-2 vs 2-3
(8:00 UTC): 3-2 vs 2-3

The 5 Bo3 winners advance to seeds 4-8. The 5 losers are eliminated with the 13th-16th prize ($16K each).

Seeded matchups entering Aug 16 (pre-event odds based on Day 3 records):

Team Falcons (3-2) vs Vici Gaming (2-3) — Falcons favored
Aurora Gaming (3-2) vs BoomBoys (2-3) — Aurora slight favorite
Team Spirit (3-2) vs Team Resilience (2-3) — Spirit heavy favorite
Iron Wing (3-2) vs GamerLegion (2-3) — Iron Wing slight favorite
LGD Gaming (3-2) vs Team Yandex (2-3) — LGD slight favorite

For the full results, see the Day 4 elimination recap.

The prize pool breakdown

The TI 2026 prize pool is $1.6M. The distribution:

Placement	Prize	% of pool
1st (Champion)	$720,000	45%
2nd (Runner-up)	$256,000	16%
3rd-4th (Top 4)	$144,000	9% each
5th-6th (Top 6)	$96,000	6% each
7th-8th (Top 8)	$72,000	4.5% each
9th-12th (Top 12)	$40,000	2.5% each
13th-16th (Top 16)	$16,000	1% each

The biggest single check is the champion's $720K — 45% of the entire pool. The 9th-12th teams (the ones eliminated in the Day 4 Elimination Round) get $40K each, which is a meaningful prize for the org but a fraction of the champion's check.

The 4 storylines to watch

1. Can TEAM VISION go 7-0? TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) went 4-0 in the group stage with a +6 map differential. If they sweep through the upper bracket (2 more series wins) and the Grand Final (1 more series win), they'll finish TI 2026 with a 7-0 record. The team has never gone undefeated at a TI.

2. The 33-vs-Satanic rivalry. Neta "33" Shapira (Iron Wing's mid) is the two-time TI champion (TI 2022 with Tundra, TI 2024 with Team Liquid) going for a third Aegis. If Iron Wing advances from the elimination round, 33 could face TEAM VISION's 9Class in the upper bracket — the next generation of mid-lane stars vs the established champion.

3. The Nigma Galaxy redemption arc. KuroKy and GH are playing for their legacy. Nigma's last TI final was 2019 (lost to OG in the Grand Final). The team's 2026 run is the best since then, and a lower-bracket run to the Grand Final would be the most dramatic storyline of the tournament.

4. The Falcons' survival test. Defending TI 2025 champions Team Falcons are in the elimination round (3-2) and need to win their Aug 16 Bo3 to avoid being eliminated before the playoffs. A win in the elimination round would seed them 4th-8th (lower bracket), and a lower-bracket run to the Grand Final would be the team's first ever.

The playoff schedule (projected)

All times in UTC. The official PGL schedule (subject to bracket lock Aug 16):

Aug 20, 02:00 UTC — Upper bracket semifinal 1 (1 vs 4)
Aug 20, 05:00 UTC — Upper bracket semifinal 2 (2 vs 3)
Aug 20, 08:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 1 (5 vs 8)
Aug 20, 11:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 1 (6 vs 7)
Aug 21, 02:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 2 (loser UB SF1 vs winner LB R1)
Aug 21, 05:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 2 (loser UB SF2 vs winner LB R1)
Aug 21, 08:00 UTC — Upper bracket final (winner UB SF1 vs winner UB SF2)
Aug 22, 02:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 3
Aug 22, 05:00 UTC — Lower bracket round 3
Aug 22, 08:00 UTC — Lower bracket final
Aug 23, 08:00 UTC — Grand Final

What's next

The playoffs begin Aug 20. The next article in this series will be the playoff recap after Day 1 (Aug 20), followed by the Grand Final preview (Aug 22) and the TI 2026 champion recap (Aug 23).