Sixteen teams will arrive in Shanghai with a chance to win Dota 2’s biggest tournament. The field combines the defending champions, former Aegis winners, China’s leading squads and qualifier teams that survived difficult regional brackets.
The Dota 2 TI 2026 teams to watch are led by Team Falcons, 1win Team, TEAM VISION, and Team Yandex. Team Spirit, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Liquid also have convincing title cases. Here is the full field and the leading contenders before the first series begins.
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What is The International 2026?
The International 2026 is the 15th edition of Valve’s annual Dota 2 world championship. TI15 takes place in Shanghai from August 13 to 23, returning to the city that hosted The International 2019.
| TI 2026 detail | Information |
| Dates | August 13–23, 2026 |
| Host city | Shanghai, China |
| Main event venue | SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center |
| Teams | 16 |
| Base prize pool | $1.6 million |
| Road to The International | August 13–16 |
| Main event | August 20–23 |
Seven TI 2026 teams received direct invitations, while nine qualified regionally. Europe received four qualifier places, China received two and Southeast Asia, North America and South America received one each.
Team Falcons
Why watch them: Defending champions with an unchanged championship roster.
Team Falcons beat Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in the 2025 grand final. Skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t-, and Sneyking remain together, giving Falcons proven chemistry and experience under playoff pressure.
Falcons can accelerate games through Malr1ne and ATF or play around skiter later on. That flexibility puts them near the top of any list of The International 2026 favorites and gives them a realistic chance to become the first organization since OG to retain the Aegis.
Team Liquid
Why watch them: A proven championship organization with another Tier 1 title this season.
Liquid rebuilt around m1CKe, Nisha, and Boxi by adding former Gaimin Gladiators players Ace and tOfu. The new lineup recovered from a slow start to win BLAST Slam VI, beating Natus Vincere 3-1 in the final.
Liquid’s TI 2025 title defense ended early, but the organization won the Aegis in 2017 and 2024. Its experience, disciplined map play, and direct invitation make it difficult to leave Liquid outside the leading group.
TEAM VISION, formerly PARIVISION
Why watch them: DreamLeague Season 29 champions and a leading European qualifier team.
PARIVISION entered the qualifier under the TEAM VISION name and secured its Shanghai place by beating Virtus.pro 2-1. The roster had recently won DreamLeague Season 29, defeating Aurora Gaming 3-2 in the final.
Satanic provides the explosive carry play, with No[o]ne- adding extensive LAN experience. The team finished third at TI 2025 and now returns with another roster capable of reaching the final weekend.
Team Spirit
Why watch them: Two-time champions built around Yatoro and Collapse.
Team Spirit qualified by defeating Nigma Galaxy 2-1 for Europe’s first berth. Yatoro, Larl and Collapse remain the team’s core, while the organization brings the experience of winning The International in 2021 and 2023.
That history makes Spirit dangerous even when its form is uneven. Yatoro remains one of the field’s strongest carry players, and a clean Swiss-stage run could place Spirit among the serious title contenders again.
1win Team, formerly Tundra Esports
Why watch them: The season’s most successful roster before changing organizations.
Tundra Esports left Dota 2 in June and transferred Pure, bzm, 33, Ari, Whitemon, and coach MoonMeander to 1win. The direct invitation belonged to the roster and followed the players.
Before the sale, the lineup won BLAST Slam IV, BLAST Slam V, DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham 2026. That four-title run gives 1win one of the strongest résumés among the TI15 teams. The only concern is whether the organizational change disrupted its preparation.
Team Yandex
Why watch them: Three Tier 1 titles in a breakthrough season.
Team Yandex earned its first direct invitation after becoming a genuine championship contender. Watson, CHIRA_JUNIOR, DM, Saksa, and Malady won BLAST Slam VII by beating LGD Gaming 3-1, securing their third Tier 1 title of the season.
Yandex should no longer be treated as a surprise package. Its recent results place the squad among the leading candidates when considering who will win TI 2026, although Shanghai will bring a new level of pressure.
Xtreme Gaming
Why watch them: The 2025 runner-up competing on home soil.
Xtreme Gaming went unbeaten through last year’s Swiss stage and came within one map of winning the Aegis before losing 3-2 to Falcons.
Ame and NothingToSay headline a roster completed by Xxs, f,y and xNova. Xtreme’s 2026 results have been less dominant, but the players have extensive big-match experience and will have the Shanghai crowd behind them. A Chinese championship would be one of TI15’s biggest stories.
Aurora Gaming
Why watch them: Two DreamLeague runner-up finishes this season.
Aurora earned a direct invitation after finishing second at DreamLeague Season 28 and DreamLeague Season 29, losing those finals to Tundra and PARIVISION.
Nightfall, Mikoto, Ws, Mira, and kaori have proved they can progress through elite fields. Closing out the last series remains the challenge, making Aurora an appealing outsider rather than a clear favorite.
OG
Why watch them: A two-time champion organization returning with an all-Filipino roster.
OG moved from Europe to Southeast Asia for the 2025–26 season and qualified for its first International since 2022. It beat Grind Back 3-1 in the regional final to end a four-year absence.
Natsumi-, Yopaj-, Raven, TIMS and skem have no connection to OG’s championship lineups from 2018 and 2019. They begin outside the main group of favorites, but their familiarity and direct style could make them a difficult Swiss-stage opponent.
Full TI 2026 team field
| Team | Roster | Qualification |
| Aurora Gaming | Nightfall, Mikoto, Ws, Mira, kaori | Direct invite |
| BoomBoys | Kiritych~, gpk~, MieRo`, Save-, Kataomi | Direct invite |
| Team Falcons | skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t-, Sneyking | Direct invite |
| Team Liquid | m1CKe, Nisha, Ace, Boxi, tOfu | Direct invite |
| 1win Team | Pure, bzm, 33, Ari, Whitemon | Direct invite |
| Xtreme Gaming | Ame, NothingToSay, Xxs, fy, xNova | Direct invite |
| Team Yandex | watson, CHIRA_JUNIOR, DM, Saksa, Malady | Direct invite |
| Team Spirit | Yatoro, Larl, Collapse, not me, rue | Europe qualifier |
| TEAM VISION | Satanic, No[o]ne-, Noticed, 9Class, Dukalis | Europe qualifier |
| Nigma Galaxy | SumaiL, lorenof, Davai, OmaR, GH | Europe qualifier |
| HULIGANI | ssnovv1, Mirage`, Corrupted, sayuw, RESPECT | Europe qualifier |
| Team Resilience | YSR-04E, Echozz, niu, planet, zzq | China qualifier |
| Vici Gaming | shiro, Xm, Bach, XinQ, y` | China qualifier |
| OG | Natsumi-, Yopaj-, Raven, TIMS, skem | Southeast Asia qualifier |
| GamerLegion | Ghost, RCY, Fayde, Bignum, Speeed | North America qualifier |
| LGD Gaming | Yuma, TaiLung, Wisper, Thiolicor, KJ | South America qualifier |
The full roster and qualification details were confirmed after the regional qualifiers concluded in June.
BoomBoys are normally known as BetBoom Team, while TEAM VISION compete outside TI as PARIVISION. Valve’s restrictions on gambling-linked branding require the alternate tournament names, which may confuse viewers comparing TI pages with other events.
How to watch TI 2026 and how the format works
- Road to The International, August 13–16. All 16 teams play best-of-three series in a Swiss system against opponents with similar records.
- Direct playoff places. The top three advance immediately to the main event.
- Elimination round. Teams placed fourth through 13th play one best-of-three series for the remaining five places. The bottom three and five elimination-round losers are eliminated.
- Main event, August 20–23. Eight teams compete in a double-elimination bracket at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center. The grand final is best-of-five.
The announced schedule separates the Road to The International from the four-day arena event in Shanghai.
Official coverage is expected across Dota 2’s Twitch and YouTube channels, with additional language streams available during the event.
How to bet on TI 2026
Use Cloudbet’s The International 2026 odds page to compare pre-tournament and match prices. Odds can move after roster news, the draw and late tournament results.
Popular markets include:
- Tournament winner. Back the team you expect to lift the Aegis.
- Match winner. Choose which squad will win a series.
- Map handicap. Give one team a virtual map advantage or disadvantage.
- Total maps. Bet on how many maps the series will require.
- Correct score. Predict the exact series result.
- Live betting. Bet as drafts, maps, and series develop.
Falcons, 1win, TEAM VISION, Spirit, and Yandex form the strongest early group, with Liquid and Xtreme also capable of winning. Compare the odds with your own assessment rather than backing a familiar name at any price.
Cloudbet supports more than 30 cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals, providing enhanced privacy and rapid transactions. Keep stakes controlled and avoid chasing losses, particularly in live markets where prices can change quickly.
