The International 2026: Dota 2 World Championship Results

The 15th edition of The International concluded in Shanghai at the end of August, crowning a new champion and delivering plenty of excitement for esports fans. This 1xBet review looks at what else made the tournament featuring the world’s strongest teams most memorable.

Qualification details (where’s NAVI?)

Valve handed out just seven direct invites to The International 2026, leaving the remaining nine spots to be decided through regional qualifiers. The European qualifiers proved the most competitive, with Spirit and Vision, the two teams that eventually met in the Grand Final, advancing alongside Nigma Galaxy and HULIGANI. The level was so high that legendary NAVI didn’t make it. This came just a year after NAVI’s youth squad caused a sensation by stepping in for the main roster.

TaiLung scandal – Topson’s opportunity

Last year, Gaimin Gladiators was involved in a scandal that led to its last-minute replacement by Yakutou Brothers. This year, young Peruvian Santiago "TaiLung" Aguero Gustavo found himself at the center of controversy – just a week before the tournament, he was suspected of match-fixing. LGD Gaming didn’t want a player with such a reputation on its roster, so the team brought in two-time world champion Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen. The legendary Finn made the most of the opportunity, helping LGD advance from the group stage with a 3-2 record. After the tournament, rumors emerged that the midlaner could come out of retirement and return to OG!

European dominance, China’s failure, legend’s departure

For the first time in The International’s 15-year history, not a single Chinese team made it to the playoffs! And this happened despite the tournament being held in Shanghai and featuring three teams from China: Xtreme Gaming, Vici Gaming, and Team Resilience. Meanwhile, Eastern Europe delivered its strongest performance yet, with four CIS teams taking the top four spots at The International 2026.

Teams and players traditionally put so much into the world championship that, for many, it ends up being their last tournament. Falcons have already announced their departure from Dota 2; Nigma Galaxy is rumored to be next, while Cr1t- and Sumai have announced an indefinite break.

Team Spirit, Yatoro, and Collapse – first-ever three-time champions

Before The International 2026, seven players and three teams still had a mathematical chance of becoming three-time champions. However, OG didn’t even make it out of its group, Team Liquid was eliminated in the quarterfinals, while Team Spirit’s chances of winning looked very slim.

Judge for yourself: “King” Yatoro’s team lost to “Prince” Satanic’s side twice – first in the group stage and then in the upper bracket semifinals. Spirit entered the Grand Final exhausted: its lower-bracket run forced the team to play two more matches than Vision, with Spirit defeating its kryptonite, Yandex, in the last one. However, in a dramatic final, the Dragons, Yatoro, and Collapse snatched victory in the decisive fifth game to become the first-ever three-time Dota 2 world champions.

The International 2026 records

Dota 2 World Championship was the second-most-watched esports tournament in August, peaking at nearly 1.8 million viewers (MLBB Mid-Season Cup 2026 ranked first with 1.9 million). On the day of the Grand Final, Dota 2 surpassed one million concurrent players for the first time since 2022. TI15’s total prize pool reached $3.9 million – the highest in four years since the monetization model was changed.

According to 1xBet esports experts, these results demonstrate the most important thing: interest in Dota 2 is not only holding steady but growing. So we can expect even more talented newcomers, exciting finals, and new champions!