TI 2026 playoffs power rankings — 8 teams, 4 days, the Aug 20-23 double-elimination

The playoff field is set

The TI 2026 group stage ran Aug 13-16 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. 40 Bo3 series over 4 days narrowed 16 teams to 8. The 3 directly-qualified teams (4-0, 4-1, 4-1) locked upper-bracket seeds on Aug 15. The 5 elimination-round winners (Aug 16 Bo3) became seeds 4-8 in the double-elimination playoff bracket.

The 8 playoff teams are:

TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) — 4-0, upper bracket seed 1
Nigma Galaxy — 4-1, upper bracket seed 2
Team Liquid — 4-1, upper bracket seed 3
Team Falcons — elimination round (def. VG 2-0)
Aurora Gaming — elimination round
Iron Wing — elimination round
Team Spirit — elimination round
LGD Gaming — elimination round

The playoffs run Aug 20-23 in the same venue. The upper-bracket semifinals start on Aug 20; the Grand Final is on Aug 23. The format is double-elimination Bo3, with the Grand Final as a Bo5. The lower-bracket final is also a Bo5.

How we ranked them

The rankings weight four things:

Group-stage record and quality of wins — 4-0 teams are favored over 3-2 teams; the strength of the wins matters (a 2-0 over a strong team is worth more than a 2-1 over a weak one)
Hero pool depth — the Bo3-to-Bo5 switch rewards teams with 25+ hero pools. Teams whose group-stage wins came from a 12-hero strategy are penalized
Bo5 record under pressure — the Grand Final is a Bo5. Teams with a strong Bo5 record (high-pressure series) are favored
Meta fit — which team's hero pool best fits the established 7.41d meta (Primal Beast, Medusa, Io, Mars, Ember Spirit, Chen, Spectre, Tidehunter, Axe, Puck, OD, Vengeful Spirit)

The rankings are forward-looking (who wins the playoff bracket, not who had the best group stage). A team that went 3-2 in groups but has a 30-hero pool can make a deeper run than a team that went 4-0 with a 15-hero pool.

S-tier: The 2 teams to beat

TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) — the favorite

Record: 4-0 in groups (the only undefeated team). Upper bracket seed 1.

TEAM VISION is the clear favorite going into the playoffs. The team went 4-0 in groups, dropped only 1 game total, and showed the deepest hero pool of any team in the tournament. Satanic on the carry is the strongest Medusa/Spectre player in the field. No[o]one- on mid is the most flexible mid in the tournament (Primal Beast, Mars, Ember Spirit, Puck, OD all in his pool). 9Class + Dukalis on the support duo can play every support in the meta.

The team's Bo5 record under pressure is the question — TEAM VISION has not played a Bo5 at this TI (4-0 in groups means no elimination pressure). The first Bo5 will be the Grand Final, and the team will need to handle the moment.

Key player: No[o]one- on mid. The mid lane is the most important role in the 7.41d meta (Primal Beast, Mars, Ember Spirit, Puck, OD all mid-flex), and No[o]one- has the deepest pool of any mid.

Team Liquid — the Bo5 specialist

Record: 4-1 in groups. Upper bracket seed 2 or 3.

Team Liquid is the Bo5 specialist of the field. Nisha on mid is the highest-skill mid in the tournament (Puck, Storm Spirit, OD, Ember Spirit all in his pool). Boxi on support is the strongest Io player. The team has the most Bo5 experience of any Western team at this TI (Liquid has won multiple Bo5 grand finals in the last 12 months).

The team's group-stage record was 4-1, with the 1 loss coming in a series the team dropped to test drafts. Liquid's actual skill is closer to 4-0; the team managed the group stage rather than playing at full intensity.

Key player: Nisha on mid. Nisha's Puck is the highest-impact Puck in the tournament (3 of the top 5 Puck games in groups were on Nisha). The Bo5 format rewards Nisha's flexibility.

A-tier: The 2 teams that can win on a hot week

Nigma Galaxy — SumaiL's last dance

Record: 4-1 in groups. Upper bracket seed 2 or 3.

Nigma Galaxy is the dark horse of the S-tier. SumaiL on mid is the highest-skill mid in the Western scene (Puck, Outworld Destroyer, Storm Spirit, Invoker all in his pool). GH on support is the strongest Io player (the meta's #1 support). The team has the most playoff experience of any team in the field (Nigma has made deep runs at 3 consecutive TIs).

The team's weakness is the offlane. Nigma's offlane is the least consistent of any top-4 team. If the team can survive the offlane matchup, Nigma can win the whole thing.

Key player: SumaiL on mid. The mid lane decides the Bo5. SumaiL's Puck + OD combo is the highest-skill mid duo in the tournament.

Team Falcons — the lower-bracket bandit

Record: 3-2 in groups, 2-0 in elimination round (def. VG 2-0). Lower bracket or upper bracket seed 4-5.

Team Falcons is the lower-bracket specialist of the field. Cr1t- on support is the strongest Primal Beast/Mars player in the tournament (the offlane meta is the deepest pool, and Cr1t- plays it). ATF on the offlane is the most aggressive offlaner (the team's tempo comes from ATF's lane dominance). The team went 3-2 in groups but swept VG 2-0 in the elimination round — a clean series that showed the team's playoff form.

The team's weakness is the mid lane. Falcons' mid pool is the shallowest of any top-6 team. If the team can survive the mid matchup (Primal Beast / Mars / Ember Spirit are all in the pool, but the depth is limited), Falcons can make a run from the lower bracket.

Key player: Cr1t- on support. Cr1t- is the only support in the tournament who can play Primal Beast and Mars at offlane-MMR level. The team's flexibility comes from Cr1t-.

B-tier: The 2 teams that need a perfect week

Team Spirit — the late-game shotcaller

Record: 3-2 in groups, 1-0+ in elimination round (vs Resilience, series in progress at the time of writing). Lower bracket or upper bracket seed 5-6.

Team Spirit is the late-game specialist of the field. Yatoro on carry is the strongest Medusa player (the meta's #1 carry). Collapse on offlane is the strongest Tidehunter player (the meta's #2 offlane). The team's late-game shotcalling is the best in the tournament — Spirit can win 60-minute Bo5s that other teams lose.

The team's weakness is the early game. Spirit's laning phase is the weakest of any top-6 team. The team needs to survive the laning phase without falling too far behind, then win the late game with shotcalling.

Key player: Yatoro on carry. Yatoro's Medusa is the highest-impact Medusa in the tournament. If the draft goes late, Spirit wins.

Aurora Gaming — the dark horse

Record: 3-2 in groups, 1-1+ in elimination round (vs BoomBoys, series in progress at the time of writing). Lower bracket or upper bracket seed 6-7.

Aurora Gaming is the dark horse of the B-tier. The team's mid pool is unusual — Nightfall plays a mix of standard mids (Primal Beast, Mars, Puck) and off-meta picks (Meepo specialist, Storm Spirit). The team's draft is harder to read than any other team in the field.

The team's weakness is the playoff experience. Aurora has not made a deep TI run before. The first Bo5 will be a test of the team's composure.

Key player: Nightfall on mid. Nightfall's hero pool is the most varied in the field. If the team can get an off-meta pick through the draft, Aurora can upset a top-4 team.

C-tier: The 2 teams most likely to make a lower-bracket run

Iron Wing — the Bo5 question

Record: 3-2 in groups, elimination round (vs GamerLegion). Lower bracket seed 7-8.

Iron Wing is the Bo5 question of the field. 33 on offlane is the strongest Mars player (the meta's #2 offlane). The team's laning phase is the strongest in the field — 33 + the support duo win almost every lane. The team can snowball early and close out games in 25-30 minutes.

The team's weakness is the Bo5 format. Iron Wing's 12-hero pool is the shallowest of any top-8 team. In a Bo5, the team will run out of heroes by game 3.

Key player: 33 on offlane. 33's Mars is the highest-impact Mars in the tournament. If the draft gets to game 4, Iron Wing runs out of options.

LGD Gaming — the Chinese hope

Record: 3-2 in groups, elimination round (vs Yandex). Lower bracket seed 7-8.

LGD Gaming is the Chinese hope of the field. The team's hero pool is the most diverse of any team — LGD can play any of the top 20 heroes in the meta. The team is the dark horse from the lower bracket.

The team's weakness is the playoff stage. LGD has not made a TI playoff run in 4 years. The team's macro play is the best in the field, but the team's individual skill is the weakest of any top-8 team.

Key player: the support duo. LGD's supports are the most flexible in the field. If the team can draft around the supports, LGD can make a lower-bracket run.

The format breakdown

The TI 2026 playoffs are double-elimination Bo3, with Bo5 lower-bracket final and Grand Final.

Upper bracket (Aug 20-21):

UB Semifinal 1: Seed 1 (VISION) vs Seed 4 (Falcons/Spirit/Iron Wing) — Bo3
UB Semifinal 2: Seed 2 (Nigma/Liquid) vs Seed 3 (Liquid/Nigma) — Bo3
UB Final: UB SF1 winner vs UB SF2 winner — Bo3
The UB Final winner goes to the Grand Final. The UB Final loser drops to the LB Final.

Lower bracket (Aug 21-22):

LB Round 1: 4 first-round LB matches — Bo3
LB Round 2: 2 second-round matches — Bo3
LB Round 3: 1 third-round match — Bo3
LB Semifinal: 1 match — Bo3
LB Final: 1 match — Bo5 (the team from the LB Final gets the Grand Final; the other is eliminated)

Grand Final (Aug 23): UB Final winner vs LB Final winner — Bo5. The UB Final winner has a 1-game advantage in the Grand Final (i.e., the LB team needs to win 3 games, the UB team needs to win 2).

The 3 teams most likely to make a lower-bracket run

1. Team Falcons (most likely). Cr1t- + ATF is the strongest lower-bracket duo in the field. The team has the offlane pool to beat anyone from the lower bracket.

2. Iron Wing (likely). 33's laning is the strongest in the field. The team can snowball early and close out Bo3s in 25-30 minutes. The weakness is the Bo5, but the team only needs to survive 2-3 Bo3s to reach the LB Final.

3. LGD Gaming (possible). The most diverse hero pool in the field. The team can draft around the opponent's strengths. The weakness is the Bo5, but the team has the macro play to win from behind.

The 3 teams most likely to win the Aegis

1. TEAM VISION (favorite). 4-0 in groups, deepest hero pool, best player at every position. The team has not been tested in a Bo5 yet, but the talent is undeniable.

2. Team Liquid (co-favorite). Nisha + Boxi is the strongest mid-support duo in the field. The Bo5 experience is the highest of any team.

3. Nigma Galaxy (long shot). SumaiL's mid + GH's support is the highest-skill duo in the field. The team has the playoff experience (3 consecutive deep TI runs). The weakness is the offlane.

What's next

The TI 2026 playoffs start on Aug 20 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The Grand Final is on Aug 23. The full hero database is at the Dota 2 heroes page. The per-team records and standings are at the TI 2026 standings page. The full schedule is at the TI 2026 schedule page. The double-elimination bracket is at the TI 2026 playoffs page.