TI 2026 power rankings after Day 1 — VISION, BoomBoys, and Iron Wing at 1-0
TI 2026 Day 1 power rankings. TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) and BoomBoys are the early favorites after 1-0 starts. Iron Wing is the surprise 1-0 team. Full 16-team ranking with X-factor per team and Day 2 implications.
Title contender. 1-0 with a statement win. The team to beat from Day 2.
Title contender. 1-0 with a clinical performance. Top-4 seed with a real path to the upper bracket.
On the bubble. 1-0 but untested vs top seeds. Day 2 result is the tell.
In trouble. 0-1 with a hard Day 2 matchup. One more loss and they're in the elimination zone.
Bottom of the field. 0-1 and struggling. Going home with the 13th-16th prize if they don't bounce back.
Power rankings (after Day 1)
Rankings are based on Day 1 tape (Round 1 + Round 2 of the Swiss group stage), the betting market movement, and the head-to-head matchups on Day 2. This is a snapshot, not a season-long projection.
S Tier — championship favorites
1. TEAM VISION (1-0)
TEAM VISION is the team to beat. The 1-0 record was earned by a 2-1 over Team Resilience (the closest series of Day 1) and a 2-1 over Team Falcons (the marquee match of Round 2). Satanic's carry is the strongest in the tournament, and No[o]ne's mid-lane is the best in the EU region. The 2-0 over Falcons was a statement win — the first time Falcons lost to a team outside the top 3 in 2 years.
X-factor: Satanic's tempo. VISION wins the laning phase, then snowballs. The 1-0 record was earned by two close Bo3s; the team has the closest ceiling to the field.
Day 2: vs BoomBoys (1-0) at 05:00 UTC. The de facto group final between the two 1-0 EU teams. Winner is the favorite for the upper bracket.
2. BoomBoys (1-0)
BoomBoys is the second-best team in the tournament. The 1-0 record was earned by a 2-0 over OG (Round 1) and a 2-1 over Iron Wing (Round 2). The team's mid gpk~ is the best CIS mid in the tournament, and Kiritych~'s carry is the second-best on a 1-0 team. The 2-1 over Iron Wing was a competitive series.
X-factor: gpk~'s hero pool. The team's draft is built around his comfort picks.
Day 2: vs TEAM VISION (1-0) at 05:00 UTC. The same de facto group final.
A Tier — title contender
3. Team Falcons (1-0)
Falcons are 1-0 after a 2-1 over LGD Gaming (Round 1) and a 1-2 loss to TEAM VISION (Round 2). The defending TI 2025 champions lost for the first time in 8 months; the loss exposed the team's weak laning phase. Skiter's carry and Cr1t's hard support are still the best in the tournament, but the team's draft discipline was the difference in the VISION loss.
X-factor: Cr1t's Io. The hero is buffed in 7.41d, and Cr1t is the best Io player in the world. The team's Io + Medusa combo is the strongest in the format.
Day 2: vs Team Yandex (0-1) at 05:00 UTC. A win puts Falcons at 2-0 and back in the upper-bracket race; a loss drops them to 1-1 and into the 1-1 bracket.
B Tier — on the bubble
4. Iron Wing (1-0)
Iron Wing is the surprise 1-0 team. The ex-Tundra Esports roster (Pure, bzm, 33, Ari, Whitemon) playing under the broadcast tag opened with a 2-0 over HULIGANI (Round 1) and a 1-2 loss to BoomBoys (Round 2). 33's hero pool is the deepest in the tournament. A Day 2 win over a 0-1 team puts Iron Wing at 2-0; a loss drops them to 1-1.
X-factor: 33's hero pool. The two-time TI champion is the most versatile mid in the tournament.
5. Team Spirit (1-0)
Team Spirit opened with a 2-0 over Xtreme Gaming (Round 1) and a 2-0 over Aurora (Round 2). Yatoro and Collapse are still the best carry/offlane duo in the CIS region. A Day 2 win over a 0-1 team puts Spirit at 2-0.
X-factor: Collapse's hero pool. The two-time TI champion's offlane pool is the deepest in the tournament.
6. Team Liquid (1-0)
Team Liquid opened with a 2-0 over Vici Gaming (Round 1) and a 2-1 over Team Yandex (Round 2). Nisha's mid-lane is the best on a 1-0 team, and m1CKe's carry is the strongest in the EU region. A Day 2 win puts Liquid at 2-0; a loss drops them to 1-1.
X-factor: Nisha on Ember Spirit. The team's drafting has been the most consistent of any 1-0 team.
7. Aurora Gaming (1-0)
Aurora opened with a 2-0 over GamerLegion (Round 1) and a 0-2 loss to Team Spirit (Round 2). Nightfall's mid is the best CIS mid in the tournament. A Day 2 win over a 0-1 team puts Aurora at 2-0; a loss drops them to 1-1.
X-factor: Nightfall's tempo. The team's draft is built around his Puck/Ember Spirit comfort picks.
8. Nigma Galaxy (0-1)
Nigma is 0-1 after a 0-2 loss to Iron Wing (Round 1) and a 2-0 win over OG (Round 2). The 1-1 record is a result of bouncing back after the Round 1 loss. SumaiL's carry is the best on a 1-1 team. A Day 2 win over a 0-1 team puts Nigma at 2-1; a loss drops them to 1-2.
X-factor: GH's Earthshaker. The team's late-game decision-making is the difference.
C Tier — in trouble
9. Team Resilience (1-1)
Resilience is 1-1 after a 1-2 loss to TEAM VISION (Round 1) and a 2-1 win over LGD (Round 2). The team's carry (zzq) and mid (planet) are above average for a 1-1 team.
10. Vici Gaming (1-1)
VG is 1-1 after a 0-2 loss to Team Liquid (Round 1) and a 2-1 win over HULIGANI (Round 2). The team's mid Ori is the best CN mid in the tournament.
11. LGD Gaming (1-1)
LGD is 1-1 after a 1-2 loss to Falcons (Round 1) and a 2-1 win over Resilience (Round 2). The South American open-qualifier team is in the middle of the bracket.
12. Team Yandex (0-2)
Yandex is 0-2 after a 0-2 loss to Iron Wing (Round 1) and a 1-2 loss to Team Liquid (Round 2). The CIS open-qualifier team needs to win out from 0-2; a long shot but not impossible.
F Tier — bottom of the field
13. BoomBoys vs Aurora (Day 2 matchup — both 1-0)
14. GamerLegion (0-2)
GL is 0-2 after a 0-2 loss to Aurora (Round 1) and a 0-2 loss to Xtreme Gaming (Round 2). The North American qualifier team needs to win out from 0-2.
15. HULIGANI (0-2)
HULIGANI is 0-2 after a 0-2 loss to Iron Wing (Round 1) and a 1-2 loss to Vici Gaming (Round 2). The EU qualifier team (L1GA TEAM under the broadcast tag) is the most likely team to go 0-4.
16. OG (0-2)
OG is 0-2 after a 0-2 loss to BoomBoys (Round 1) and a 0-2 loss to Nigma Galaxy (Round 2). The SEA representative is the most likely team to be eliminated at 0-3.
Day 2 storylines
1. The 1-0 group is the championship group. 8 teams are at 1-0 after Day 1 (TEAM VISION, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Spirit, Iron Wing, Team Liquid, Aurora, and Nigma Galaxy). The 4 teams that go 2-0 by end of Day 2 are the de facto upper-bracket favorites. The 4 teams that go to 1-1 are in the 1-1 bracket and need to win out to make the upper bracket.
2. The 0-2 group is the elimination group. 8 teams are at 0-2 after Day 1 (HULIGANI, OG, GamerLegion, Team Yandex, Vici Gaming, Team Resilience, LGD Gaming, Xtreme Gaming). The 4 teams that go 0-3 by end of Day 2 are one Bo3 loss from going home. The 4 teams that bounce back to 1-2 are in the 1-2 bracket and need to win out.
3. The 1-0 EU derby is the match of the day. TEAM VISION vs BoomBoys at 05:00 UTC is the de facto group final between the two 1-0 EU teams. The winner is the favorite for the upper bracket; the loser drops to the 1-1 bracket.
What's next
Day 2 will resolve the top 4 and bottom 4 of the Swiss bracket. The next article in this series will be the Day 2 power rankings (Aug 14) followed by the Day 3 power rankings (Aug 15).
About 7 minutes read.
