Valve has announced the invites for the biggest event of the Dota 2 calendar, as seven teams have been directly invited to The International 2026.
The remaining nine teams will have to make it out of the regional qualifiers to make the 16-team Shanghai event, starting on June 15 when the two-slot China qualifier begins.
Teams who progress will contest TI 15 from August 13-23, to fight for the ultimate prize in Dota 2, the Aegis of Champions in Shanghai.
The International 2026 Invited Teams
- Aurora Gaming
- BoomBoys*
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
- Tundra Esports
- Xtreme Gaming
- Team Yandex
*BoomBoys is the BetBoom roster, with its name changed due to the betting site of the same name.
The list threw up a few surprises based on how teams had done in the year. Parivision is the most notable absentee, with the roster picking up a trophy only a few days before the invite announcement at DreamLeague Season 29, but they are missing a big LAN win despite several playoff berths in that time.
Also absent are DreamLeague Season 29 third-placed team, Spirit, who also finished runners-up at PGL Wallachia Season 6, DreamLeague Season 27, and Fissure Universe: Episode 8.
However, Spirit have lost themselves of late, kicking Nikita ‘panto’ Balaganin in favour of young prospect Alexey ‘not me’ Kosmynin ahead of DreamLeague. So that new roster will have to prove itself in the qualifiers.
The International 2026 Qualifiers outlined
The International 2026 will feature regional qualifiers in China, South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America from June 15-28. Valve has released the list of teams invited to the Closed Qualifiers, with Open Qualifiers immediately preceding the CQs from June 9-12.
The team lists for The International 2026 Closed Qualifiers are:
China (June 15-18): 2 Slots
- Vici Gaming
- Roar Gaming
- Yakutou Brothers
- Team Resilience
- +4 from Open Qualifiers
South America (June 15-19): 1 Slot
- LGD Gaming
- PlayTime
- Estar Backs
- Red Hot Chili Pibble
- Amaru Gaming
- Hokori
- +4 from Open Qualifiers
Southeast Asia (June 19-23): 1 Slot
- REKONIX
- OG
- Execration
- Team Nemesis
- GLYPH
- +5 from Open Qualifiers
Europe (June 21-28): 4 Slots
- TEAM VISION*
- Team Spirit
- MOUZ
- Natus Vincere
- Nigma Galaxy
- Virtus.pro
- enjoy
- Power Rangers
- +8 from Open Qualifiers
North America (June 24-26): 1 Slot
- GamerLegion
- +3 from Open Qualifiers
*TEAM VISION is the Parivision roster, with its name changed due to the betting site of the same name.
The Closed Qualifiers are guaranteed to be brutal competitions, with orgs living and dying in the Dota 2 space based on their International qualification.
In Europe, with Parivision and Spirit in the Closed Qualifier, it’s hard to see a world where NAVI, MOUZ, Nigma, and VP are not left fighting for those last two spots.
In Southeast Asia, Rekonox, OG, Nemesis, and Glyph have all qualified for Tier 1 events this season, making it a highly competitive fight for that one slot.
Chinese fans will be glued to the Chinese CQ, with Vici Gaming hoping to return to TI for the first time since The International 2021 as they fight to play the first TI in China since 2019.
Who do you think will make The International 2026? Let us know on our Discord Server.
For other news, see the details of Insider Gaming’s Showcase!
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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