The International 2026 runs from August 13 to August 23, 2026, in Shanghai, China, with a base prize pool of $1,600,000 and sixteen teams fighting for the Aegis.
This is the fifteenth edition of Dota 2's annual world championship, returning to China for the first time since the original Shanghai showdown in 2019. The Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai becomes the centrepiece of the competitive Dota 2 calendar for ten days in August, and the field is one of the most analytically interesting in recent TI history.
Team Falcons arrive as defending champions with the same roster that lifted the Aegis at TI 2025, but current form places them one level below the leading trio. PARIVISION, who won the Esports World Cup just weeks before TI, enter as a European qualifier because Valve's gambling branding restrictions required them to compete as TEAM VISION, bypassing the direct invite consideration. BetBoom Team, one of the hottest squads of the season, play under the neutral BoomBoys name for the same reason.
Bet on all TI 2026 markets at Duelbits Esports.
All odds from Duelbits Sportsbook, correct at time of writing.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | The International 2026 (TI15, TI 2026) |
| Dates | August 13–23, 2026 |
| Venue | Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China |
| Teams | 16 |
| Base prize pool | $1,600,000 |
| Total prize pool | $2,742,861 (incl. supporter bundle %) |
| Group Stage format | Swiss system - August 13-16, private studio |
| Main Event format | Double-elimination - August 20-23, live audience |
| Main Event qualifies | Top 8 from Group Stage |
| Organiser | Valve + PGL |
| China return since | 2019 |
The group stage uses a Swiss system, which pairs teams with similar win-loss records each round rather than fixed groups. Over four days, the 16 teams play best-of-three series until the field sorts itself out, and the top eight advance to the main event.
All Group Stage matches are played in a private studio, no live audience for the opening four days. This matters for betting: without crowd energy, even strong home-region advantage (relevant to Chinese teams) is diminished in the early rounds.
Teams that start 0-2 in the Swiss system face elimination pressure earlier than traditional group stage formats. This creates high-stakes situations from the opening round that are reflected in live market pricing.
The top eight teams from the Group Stage compete in a full double-elimination bracket. Losing a series sends a team to the lower bracket rather than eliminating them, teams can lose once and still reach the grand final via the lower bracket run.
The live audience at the Oriental Sports Center begins with the Main Event. For Chinese teams (Xtreme Gaming, Vici Gaming, Team Resilience), the crowd factor becomes significant from the upper bracket quarterfinals onwards.
Grand Final format: Bo5.
Seven teams received direct invites.
| Team | Region | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Team Falcons | WEU | Defending TI 2025 champions |
| Team Liquid | WEU | TI 2024 (Copenhagen) champions |
| Xtreme Gaming | China | TI 2025 runners-up |
| Aurora Gaming | EEU | Tier-1 event winners in 2026 |
| BetBoom Team (as BoomBoys) | EEU | EWC 2026 runners-up; gambling branding restriction |
| 1w Team (formerly Tundra Esports) | WEU | Consistent top-tier presence |
| Team Yandex | EEU | EWC 2026 third place; consistent 2026 season |
Branding note: BetBoom Team is listed as BoomBoys and is expected to use a new logo. Teams affiliated with betting companies appear to have undergone branding changes for the tournament, likely at Valve's request. Similarly, PARIVISION compete as TEAM VISION.
The remaining nine places were decided through regional qualifiers: four slots to Europe, two to China, and one each to Southeast Asia, North America, and South America.
| Team | Region | Path |
|---|---|---|
| Team Spirit | Europe | TI 2021 (TI10) champions; Yatoro, Larl, Collapse |
| TEAM VISION (PARIVISION) | Europe | EWC 2026 champions; EWC win under gambling branding restriction |
| HULIGANI (L1GA Team) | Europe | European qualifier |
| Nigma Galaxy | Europe | European qualifier |
| Team Resilience | China | China qualifier |
| Vici Gaming | China | China qualifier; EWC top 4 |
| GamerLegion | North America | NA qualifier |
| LGD Gaming | South America | SA qualifier |
| OG | Southeast Asia | All-Filipino roster; SEA qualifier |
Important: TaiLung, a player was permanently banned from the tournament as well as all future PGL events on August 9 due to tournament integrity issues. Check current rosters for affected Chinese team lineups before placing individual match bets.
Group Stage Opening Round - August 13
Live at Duelbits Esports → Dota 2 → The International 2026 → Events
Session 1 - 04:00 Duelbits time
| Match | Favourite | Underdog |
|---|---|---|
| BetBoom Team vs Team OG | BetBoom 1.25 | OG 4.00 |
| PARIVISION vs Team Resilience | PARIVISION 1.03 | Resilience 12.00 |
| Team Falcons vs LGD Gaming | Falcons 1.17 | LGD 5.00 |
| 1win vs Nigma Galaxy | 1win 1.42 | Nigma 2.90 |
Session 2 - 07:00 Duelbits time
| Match | Favourite | Underdog |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Gaming vs GamerLegion | Aurora 1.10 | GamerLegion 7.00 |
| Team Yandex vs HULIGANI | Yandex 1.02 | HULIGANI 14.00 |
| Team Liquid vs Vici Gaming | Liquid 1.25 | Vici 4.00 |
| Team Spirit vs Xtreme Gaming | Spirit 1.35 | Xtreme 3.20 |
Click Outrights in the TI 2026 section or the +5 button for additional markets.
Region of Tournament Winner
| Region | Duelbits Odds | Teams Represented |
|---|---|---|
| EEU | 1.28 | BetBoom, Yandex, Aurora, Spirit |
| WEU | 3.50 | Falcons, Liquid, 1win |
| China | 25.00 | Xtreme, Resilience, Vici |
| SEA | 40.00 | OG |
| SA | 50.00 | LGD Gaming |
| NA | 100.00 | GamerLegion |
Best Placed Out of China
| Team | Duelbits Odds |
|---|---|
| Xtreme Gaming | 1.92 |
| Vici Gaming | 2.80 |
| Team Resilience | 4.00 |
Best Placed Out of WEU
| Team | Duelbits Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Falcons | 2.15 |
| Team Liquid | 2.70 |
| 1win | 3.80 |
| Nigma Galaxy | 11.00 |
Falcons return as the defending champions after beating Xtreme Gaming 3–2 in the TI 2025 grand final. The same five-player roster remains in place, giving the team considerably more continuity than several of its direct rivals. Their 2026 results have been respectable rather than dominant: third at PGL Wallachia Season 8, fourth at DreamLeague Season 29 and seventh at the Esports World Cup.
Falcons retain the experience and individual quality required to defend the Aegis, but current form places them one level below the leading trio.
A seventh-place finish at EWC is a meaningful data point, the EWC is the most recent major international event before TI, and underperformance there suggests the team is not at its absolute ceiling. Best Placed Out of WEU at 2.15 acknowledges their quality without fully discounting recent form concerns.
Their EWC run is particularly important because it showed that BetBoom can deliver through a long international event rather than simply peak in isolated series. Their 3–1 defeat to PARIVISION exposed the remaining gap at the top, but no other participant arrives with a more convincing combination of recent form and season-long stability.
BetBoom's defining strength in 2026: converting skirmish wins into Roshan timings, the macro discipline that separates tactical execution from greed. BetBoom are still elite at converting skirmish wins into Roshan timings. They understand when to skip one extra kill and hit Roshan immediately.
The EWC runner-up position behind PARIVISION is the most important contextual result for TI 2026. If PARIVISION are the best team on the current patch, BetBoom are the clearest second.
The most analytically significant story at TI 2026. PARIVISION won the Esports World Cup 2026, the largest non-TI Dota 2 event of the year, defeating BetBoom 3-1 in the final. PARIVISION, who just won EWC, took $750,000, and looked like the cleanest 7.41d team in the world.
The tournament field was decided before EWC gave us the newest read on 7.41d pressure Dota. PARIVISION's EWC victory came after the direct invite deadline, they qualified through Europe as a result and enter TI as a qualifier despite being the current form team.
Their opening match at 1.03 vs Team Resilience is essentially a certainty market, but their value lies in deep outright markets where they're likely underpriced due to qualifier status. Watch for their individual team winner odds if available.
Team Spirit are the TI10 (2021) champions, winners of the most dramatic TI ever (coming from lower bracket to win the grand final). Team Spirit, PARIVISION look like favorites in the European qualifier.
The 2026 Spirit lineup is not the same roster that won in 2021, but carries roster members with elite championship experience. Opening at 1.35 against Xtreme Gaming is a genuinely contested match, Xtreme represent China's strongest team with deep home crowd support waiting for the Main Event, while Spirit carry European qualifier momentum.
Team Yandex represent another team that won trust through consistency across top events. Their biggest strength is clean support-coordination windows around rune control and post-laning smoke timings.
Yandex finished third at EWC 2026, a stronger result than Falcons, and are backed by the EEU 1.28 regional market. Opening at essentially the maximum short price (1.02 vs HULIGANI) confirms their Group Stage dominance expectations.
The strongest evidence arrived at the Esports World Cup. Vici eliminated defending TI champion Falcons, reached the semifinals and ultimately finished fourth behind PARIVISION, BetBoom and Team Yandex. That run elevates them from regional qualifier to one of TI's most credible dark horses.
This refers to Vici Gaming, but the principle applies to all three Chinese teams at TI 2026. Xtreme Gaming, TI 2025 runners-up, enter as China's clearest outright contender. Best Placed Out of China at 1.92 reflects their legitimate title credentials. The Shanghai crowd in the Main Event, drawing from China's enormous Dota 2 fanbase, could be the most vocal home crowd since TI at the same venue in 2019.
Vici had a strong EWC run (top 4) and enter TI having beaten the defending TI champions (Falcons) in that tournament. Best Placed Out of China at 2.80 acknowledges their upward trajectory.
The TaiLung ban (August 9, tournament integrity issues) adds uncertainty to one of the Chinese rosters, confirm which team is affected before placing China-specific bets.
The most important structural factor at every TI: Ranked is the same, the TI patch changes the competitive dynamic regardless of prior form. A major balance update drops before TI each year. Teams that played dominant Dota on the 7.41d patch may face a completely different meta once the TI patch arrives.
Teams with wide hero pools and flexible coaching staff adapt fastest. BetBoom, Team Spirit, and Team Liquid historically adapt well; teams reliant on narrow specialist compositions are more vulnerable to patch resets.
TI 2026 is locked. The patch is not. The tournament field was decided before EWC gave us the newest read on 7.41d pressure Dota. PARIVISION, the current form team, carries a qualifier seed through the Swiss system. If the TI patch favours their style, they are a realistic title contender priced with qualifier uncertainty discount.
This is the only recent TI where Chinese teams have home crowd support at the Main Event. The crowd impact in Chinese Dota events is historically enormous, louder than any western venue, specifically for Chinese teams in clutch moments. This provides real psychological advantage in close Bo3 and Bo5 series in the Main Event.
Team Liquid won TI 2024 (Copenhagen). A second consecutive title would tie historical records. Their 1.25 opening vs Vici reflects strong expectation, and Best Placed Out of WEU at 2.70 positions them as the clearest WEU challenger to Falcons' bracket positioning.
| Market | Selection | Odds | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region Winner | EEU | 1.28 | BetBoom (EWC runner-up), Yandex (EWC 3rd), Aurora, Spirit, deepest multi-team regional representation |
| Group Stage opener | Team Spirit | 1.35 | vs Xtreme in opening Swiss round, credible pick at 1.35 for an elite qualifier team with championship experience |
| Best China | Vici Gaming | 2.80 | EWC top-4 finish, beat defending TI champs Falcons, home crowd advantage in Main Event |
| Best WEU | Team Liquid | 2.70 | TI 2024 champions, consistent title-level Dota, better EWC form than Falcons |
| Group Stage | PARIVISION (TEAM VISION) | 1.03 vs Resilience | Safest opener available, EWC champions vs Chinese qualifier |
| Watch for | PARIVISION individual winner | Check outrights | EWC win is underpriced in qualifier seed context |
Bet on all TI 2026 markets at Duelbits Esports.
For complete Dota 2 betting strategy including how to read match odds, game handicaps, and first blood markets, see our Dota 2 Betting Odds Explained guide and How to Bet on Esports.
When and where is TI 2026?
August 13-23, 2026, Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China. Group Stage (Swiss system, private studio): Aug 13-16. Main Event (double-elimination, live audience): Aug 20-23.
What are the TI 2026 odds on Duelbits?
Region Winner: EEU 1.28, WEU 3.50, China 25.00. Best China: Xtreme 1.92, Vici 2.80. Best WEU: Falcons 2.15, Liquid 2.70. Group stage openers from 1.02 (Yandex) to 1.42 (1win vs Nigma).
Who are the TI 2026 teams?
16 teams: 7 direct invites (Falcons, Liquid, Xtreme, Aurora, BetBoom/BoomBoys, 1w Team, Yandex) + 9 qualifiers (Spirit, PARIVISION/TEAM VISION, HULIGANI, Nigma from Europe; Resilience, Vici from China; GamerLegion NA; LGD SA; OG SEA).
Why is EEU so favoured at 1.28?
BetBoom finished EWC 2026 as runners-up, Yandex finished third, Aurora won tier-1 events, and Team Spirit bring TI champion pedigree. EEU has the deepest concentration of elite teams of any region in the 2026 field.
What happened to PARIVISION?
They won EWC 2026 but missed the TI direct invite deadline. Valve's gambling branding restrictions required them to compete as TEAM VISION. They qualified through Europe and enter as one of the most dangerous underdogs in the field.
What is the TI 2026 prize pool?
$2,742,861 total ($1.6M base from Valve + 25% of supporter bundle sales).
