The International 2026: Dota 2 Returns to Shanghai
By Esports Desk on 2026-08-09
The Aegis of Champions is heading back East. The International 2026 (TI15) is officially on the horizon, and Dota 2’s crown jewel event is making its highly anticipated return to Shanghai, China!
After a grueling season of third-party majors and relentless patch updates, the Road to the International is set. Scheduled to run from August 13 to August 23, 2026, the global Dota 2 community is already bracing for the roster drama, drafting masterclasses, and inevitable lower-bracket Cinderella runs.
🏆 TI15 Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 13 – 23, 2026 |
| Location | Shanghai, China |
| Teams | 16 Top-Tier Teams |
| Prize Pool | $2,594,491 (Growing via Crowdfunding) |
| Trophy | The Aegis of Champions |
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of everything we know so far.
The Final 16: Surviving the Bloodbath
This year, the tournament will feature 16 of the world’s absolute best rosters. With Valve shifting away from the old DPC system, the battle for a direct invite has been an absolute bloodbath. The tournament field is divided into two categories: 7 Direct Invites (based on seasonal circuit performance) and 9 Regional Qualifier Winners.
How They Qualified
- Direct Invites (7 slots): Extended to the teams with the highest competitive points throughout the 2025-2026 season.
- Regional Qualifiers (9 slots): Awarded to the winners of the brutal June qualifiers across Europe (4), China (2), North America (1), South America (1), and Southeast Asia (1).
Directly Invited Rosters
The 7 directly invited teams have locked in their rosters, featuring some of the most legendary names in Dota 2 history:
- Team Falcons: skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t-, Sneyking (Defending TI Champions)
- Team Liquid: miCKe, Nisha, Ace, boxi, tOfu
- 1win Team: Pure, bzm, 33, Ari, Whitemon (Formerly Tundra Esports)
- Xtreme Gaming: Ame, NothingToSay, Xxs, fy, xNova-
- Aurora Gaming: Nightfall, Mikoto, Ws, Mira, kaori
- Team Yandex: watson, CHIRA_JUNIOR, DM, Saksa, Malady
- BoomBoys: (Formerly BetBoom Team, rebranded for TI15)
Regional Qualifier Winners
The 9 regional qualifier teams fought through brutal gauntlets to secure their spots in Shanghai. Here are the victorious squads:
- Team Spirit (Europe): Yatoro, Larl, Collapse, not me, rue
- TEAM VISION (Europe): Satanic, None-, Noticed, 9Class, Dukalis
- HULIGANI (Europe): ssnovv1, Mirage`, Corrupted, sayuw, RESPECT
- Nigma Galaxy (Europe): SumaiL, lorenof, Davai, OmaR, GH
- Team Resilience (China): YSR-04E, Echozz, niu, planet, zzq
- Vici Gaming (China): shiro, Xm, Bach, XinQ, y`
- LGD Gaming (South America): Yuma, TaiLung, Wisper, Thiolicor, KJ
- OG (Southeast Asia): Natsumi, Yopaj-, Raven, TIMS, skem
- GamerLegion (North America): Ghost, RCY, Fayde, Bignum, Speeed
The Prize Pool: The Compendium Era
For TI15, the starting prize pool is currently sitting at $2,594,491. While this might look modest compared to the heavily inflated Battle Pass peaks of the past, veteran fans know the drill. With Valve’s renewed focus on the esports-centric Compendium over purely cosmetic hats, this number is the baseline. As community crowdfunding kicks into high gear, expect that figure to scale rapidly as we approach the Grand Finals.
Why Shanghai? The Curse of the Host City
Shanghai has a legendary, albeit turbulent, history with Dota 2. As the beating heart of CN Dota—a region infamous for producing the most disciplined and mechanically terrifying squads on the planet—the local crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Arena will be deafening.
But with the home-field advantage comes unimaginable pressure. The last time TI was in Shanghai (TI9), the Chinese squads fell just short of the Aegis. The narrative this year is clear: CN Dota is looking for redemption on home soil.
The Meta Shifts
As we inch closer to August 13th, teams are scrimming in secret, hiding their pocket strats, and figuring out how to exploit the latest patch. Will a reigning powerhouse steamroll the upper bracket, or will a dark horse exploit an unbroken hero combo to shock the world?
Clear your schedules and prepare for some incredibly late nights. The International 2026 is shaping up to be an absolute masterclass in competitive Dota.
💡 Addict Gaming Team’s Expert Prediction
Our editorial team has been analyzing the circuit all year, and we have a few hot takes for TI15:
- The Team Falcons Three-Peat? While Team Falcons dominated 2024 and 2025, historically, back-to-back-to-back TI wins are unheard of. The pressure will be immense, but if any roster can do it, it’s the skiter-Malr1ne duo. However, we predict they might fall in the upper bracket finals to a highly disciplined Chinese squad.
- Xtreme Gaming’s Home Turf Advantage: Playing on home soil in Shanghai gives Xtreme Gaming an incredible morale boost. With the legendary Ame and fy at the helm, we consider them our number one favorites to take the Aegis this year.
- The Dark Horse: Watch out for the newly formed 1win Team. With Pure playing out of his mind and 33’s unmatched drafting capabilities, they have the potential to completely blindside the favorites.
Join the Draft
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