The International 2026 Begins as 16 Teams Battle for the Aegis in Shanghai

The wait is over.

The International 2026 is officially underway, bringing 16 of the world's best Dota 2 teams to Shanghai for the fifteenth edition of Valve's world championship.

From August 13 through August 23, teams will battle for the most prestigious trophy in competitive Dota:

the Aegis of Champions.

This year's tournament also marks The International's return to China for the first time since 2019, when Shanghai hosted one of the most memorable editions in the tournament's history.

Seven years later, Dota's biggest event is back.

Sixteen Teams, Eight Playoff Places

The International begins with a Swiss-style group stage running from August 13 through August 16.

All 16 teams begin in the same pool and are matched against opponents with similar records as the tournament progresses.

Every series is played as a best-of-three.

The objective is simple: keep winning.

Teams that reach four series victories secure their places in the next stage, while four defeats mean elimination.

The strongest three teams will advance directly into the playoffs.

Teams finishing between fourth and thirteenth will have one final opportunity in the elimination round, where five additional playoff places will be decided.

By the end of August 16, the original field of 16 will have been cut in half.

Only eight teams will remain.

Shanghai Arena Awaits the Survivors

Those eight teams will advance to the Main Event, beginning August 20 at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center.

More than 10,000 fans are expected inside the arena as the remaining teams compete through a double-elimination bracket.

Every playoff series will be best-of-three until the Grand Final on August 23.

Then, one final best-of-five will determine the TI 2026 champion.

One team will lift the Aegis.

The other 15 will leave Shanghai knowing they have to wait another year.

A Stacked Field

The 2026 tournament brings together established champions, elite organizations and emerging contenders.

Team Falcons enter as the defending TI champions after their victory in 2025.

Team Spirit return looking to add another championship to an already historic legacy.

Team Liquid are once again among the experienced contenders, while Team Yandex, PARIVISION's roster competing as Team VISION, BetBoom's lineup, Nigma Galaxy, Aurora and several regional qualifiers add further unpredictability to the field.

The tournament also features one of the most unexpected roster stories of the year.

LGD arrive with two-time TI champion Topson as an emergency addition following TaiLung's removal from the tournament just days before play began.

The International Returns to China

Shanghai last hosted The International in 2019.

That tournament ended with OG defeating Team Liquid and becoming the first organization to win consecutive TI championships.

Much has changed since then.

Entire generations of players have entered and left professional Dota. New champions have emerged. The competitive map has shifted dramatically.

But the importance of The International remains.

Other tournaments can offer enormous prize pools and elite competition.

Only one awards the Aegis.

For the next eleven days, almost everything else in professional Dota becomes secondary.

The International 2026 has begun.