Patryk Stachowiak
Valve has revealed the seven teams earning direct invites to The International (TI) 2026, along with the complete slot allocation and schedule for the regional qualifiers. This year’s annual Dota 2 world championship will be held in Shanghai, China in August, with the Oriental Sports Center hosting the main event.
Only seven teams received direct invites this year, down from the usual eight in previous editions. The directly-invited teams are defending champions Team Falcons, Team Liquid, and Tundra Esports from Western Europe; Aurora Gaming, Team Yandex, and BetBoom Team from Eastern Europe; and Xtreme Gaming from China. Valve did not disclose why the direct invite count was reduced by one.
Nine Qualifier Slots Available Across All Regions
With seven direct invites confirmed, nine spots remain open through the regional qualifiers. Valve has merged Western Europe and Eastern Europe into a single unified qualifier carrying four advancement slots, a structural change from previous years when the two regions ran separate qualifiers. China receives two qualifier slots, while Southeast Asia, North America, and South America each receive one.
The qualifier cycle begins with open qualifiers from 9 to 12 June, followed by the regional qualifiers proper from 15 to 26 June. Participating teams will include a number of directly-invited sides alongside teams advancing from the open qualifiers.
Regional Qualifier Schedules and Directly-Invited Teams
China (15–18 June)
- 4 Open Qualifier teams
South America (15–19 June)
- Red Hot Chili Pibble
- 4 Open Qualifier teams
Southeast Asia (19–23 June)
- 5 Open Qualifier teams
Europe (21–28 June)
- TEAM VISION
- enjoy
- 8 Open Qualifier teams
North America (24–26 June)
- 3 Open Qualifier teams
TI 2026 Format and Prize Pool
TI 2026 will feature 16 teams split across two phases. The Road to The International runs as a Swiss-style Group Stage from 13 to 16 August, cutting the field from 16 to 8. The main event follows from 20 to 23 August at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai.
This marks Shanghai‘s second time hosting TI after TI 2019, where OG became the first two-time TI champions by defeating Team Liquid in four games to claim a grand prize of US$15.6 million from a US$34.3 million prize pool. Valve has yet to announce the official prize pool for TI 2026, though the tournament is expected to follow last year’s format with a US$1.6 million base prize pool supplemented by sales of the TI 2026 Compendium.
Team Falcons arrive as defending champions after claiming the Aegis of Champions at last year’s event, defeating Xtreme Gaming in a five-game grand final. Follow TipsGG for full coverage of every qualifier, match result, and TI 2026 update as the tournament approaches.