The International 2026 on Dota 2: tournament format, prize pool and new team tags starts in Shanghai
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12.08.2026 22:19
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2 min read
On August 13, the premier Dota 2 tournament of the year, The International 2026 (TI 15), kicks off at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. The sixteen best teams in the world will compete for a prize pool exceeding $2.88 million.
Schedule and Tournament Format
The tournament consists of three consecutive stages:
- Group Stage (August 13–16): Held using an updated Swiss-system format with Best-of-3 matches. The top three teams will advance directly to the playoffs, while the bottom three will be eliminated;
- Elimination Round (August 15–16): Teams ranked 4th through 13th will compete for the remaining 5 spots in the main event;
- Final Playoffs (August 20–23): The eight strongest teams will battle for the tournament’s main trophy at the stadium.
Sponsorship Bans and Mandatory Rebranding
Due to Valve’s regulations, the use of betting-related and certain other sponsorship branding in team names is strictly prohibited at The International 2026. As a result, several well-known participants have changed their names for the duration of the tournament:
- BetBoom Team is competing under the tag Boom Boys;
- PARIVISION has been renamed to Team Vision;
- 1win Team has registered as Iron Wing;
- L1GA TEAM is competing under the name HULIGANI.
Opening Matches
The opening round on August 13 at 5:00 AM Moscow time will feature matches involving tournament favorites: two-time champions Team Spirit will face China’s Xtreme Gaming, Boom Boys will take on OG, and reigning trophy holders Team Falcons will clash with LGD Gaming.
