The ultimate Dota 2 tournament, The International 2026, will kick off in August.

The world's largest Dota 2 tournament, The International 2026 (TI 2026), will be held this August at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in China.

Sixteen top teams from around the world will compete for the Aegis of Champions, the symbol of ultimate honor. This is the second time Shanghai has hosted The International (TI) since 2019.

This tournament has a total of 16 slots, divided into two channels: direct invitation and qualification through regional qualifiers. The seven teams that received direct invitations are Aurora Gaming, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, 1w Team, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex.

The remaining 9 teams emerged from the regional qualifiers:

• European Region: Team Spirit, Team Vision, Huligani, Nigma Galaxy

• China Region: Vici Gaming, Team Resilience

North American Region: GamerLegion

Southeast Asia Region: OG

South American Region: LGD Gaming

The tournament will be divided into two stages: the “Road to the International” Swiss round group stage will be held from August 13 to 16, eliminating half of the teams; the top 8 teams will advance to the main tournament stage from August 20 to 23 to determine the final champion.

The tournament has a base prize pool of $1.6 million, which will be further increased and expanded through the sale of the TI 2026 Interactive Compendium. As the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament to date, 16 teams are ready, and the championship battle will officially begin next week.

Image source: Internet