The International 2026 Kicks Off in Shanghai: Tournament Format, Prize Pool, and Team Tags
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12.08.2026 22:19
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2 min read
The International 2026 (TI 15), the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year, kicks off on August 13 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. Sixteen of the world’s best teams will compete for a prize pool exceeding $2.88 million.
Schedule and Format
The tournament consists of three consecutive stages:
- Group Stage (August 13–16): Played in a revised Swiss system with Best-of-3 matches (first to two wins). The top three teams advance directly to the playoffs, while the bottom three are eliminated;
- Elimination Round (August 15–16): Teams ranked 4th through 13th will battle for the remaining five spots in the main stage;
- Final Playoffs (August 20–23): The top eight teams will compete for the championship trophy at the arena.
Sponsor Ban and Forced Rebranding
Due to Valve’s rules, The International 2026 completely prohibits the use of betting and certain other sponsor logos in team names. 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
In the first round on August 13, matches featuring favorites will take place: two-time champions Team Spirit will face China’s Xtreme Gaming, Boom Boys will meet OG, and defending champions Team Falcons will go up against LGD Gaming.
