Dota 2’s The International 2026 Kicks Off in Shanghai: Tournament Format, Prize Pool, and New Team Tags
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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), begins at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. Sixteen of the world’s top teams 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 in a Best-of-3 format. 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 compete for the remaining 5 spots in the main event;
- Final Playoffs (August 20–23): The eight strongest teams will compete for the tournament’s main trophy at the stadium.
Sponsorship Bans and Forced Rebranding
Due to Valve’s regulations, the use of betting and certain other sponsorship branding in club 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 will feature matches involving tournament favorites: two-time champions Team Spirit will face China’s Xtreme Gaming, Boom Boys will meet OG, and reigning trophy holders Team Falcons will clash with LGD Gaming.
