TI 2026: teams and qualifiers

Valve has officially announced the list of participants for The International 2026 in Dota 2. Direct invitations were received only by seven teams, including Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming and Aurora Gaming.

The remaining places will be contested at regional qualifiers in June. The group stage will start on August 13 in the format of the Swiss system, and the final stage will take place from August 20 to 23 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The new selection format makes qualifiers more challenging and gives young teams a chance to make it to the main tournament of the season.