International 2026: Final Eight Head to Shanghai

The International 2026 has reached its final eight. The Main Event will run Aug. 20–23 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. The remaining teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket.

PVISION enters the Main Event with four tournament wins this year: PREMIER SERIES, 1win Essence I, DreamLeague Season 29 and the Dota 2 event at the Esports World Cup 2026, where they defeated BB Team 3–1 in the final.

Team Falcons are the defending International champions. Their 2026 results include an early playoff exit at the Esports World Cup and a run to the 1win Essence II final, where they defeated BB Team and Team Liquid in consecutive playoff series before losing 0–3 to Liquid in the grand final.

Team Liquid failed to reach the EWC playoffs but then won 1win Essence II just before The International. The organization has multiple recent appearances in major finals and arrives in Shanghai after that title win.

Team Yandex reached five major international finals since December 2025 and won three of those events. At the Esports World Cup they finished third, beating Team Spirit 2–0 and then losing 1–2 to PVISION in the semifinals.

Team Spirit have two prior International titles and retain much of the roster that won those championships. In 2026 they reached late stages of several events but were eliminated 2–0 by Team Yandex in the EWC quarterfinals.

BB Team won PGL Wallachia Season 8 and reached the Esports World Cup final, where PVISION ended their run. After that final they posted mixed results, including playoff losses to Falcons and 1w at 1win Essence II.

1w, a roster transferred from Tundra Esports earlier this year, had a weak showing at EWC and improved at 1win Essence II. At 1win Essence II they beat Vici Gaming and BB Team before losing to Team Liquid in the final stages.

Nigma Galaxy reached the Main Event despite uneven results through the season. They were eliminated 2–0 by BB Team at EWC and posted losses to 1w and Falcons at 1win Essence II.

Opening-round matchups and odds, listed as of Aug. 19, are 1w (1.82) vs Team Spirit (1.88); PVISION (1.35) vs BB Team (2.90); Team Liquid (1.68) vs Team Yandex (2.05); and Nigma Galaxy (2.40) vs Team Falcons (1.72). The double-elimination format and the four-day schedule require teams to win multiple series across consecutive days to advance to the final and claim the Aegis.