From August 13 to 23, 2026, the Dota 2 esports tournament The International 2026 took place in Shanghai. The event was organized by Valve and PGL. The competition was played on game version 7.41e, and the playoff matches were hosted at the Oriental Sports Center arena. 16 teams participated in the tournament.
The tournament format consisted of a group stage using a modified Swiss system and playoffs using a double-elimination system. Due to the organizers' decision to forego the traditional Battle Pass, the total prize pool amounted to $3,357,085 USD. Of this, $1.6 million was the base amount, and the rest was generated by a 30% contribution from the sale of supporter bundles.
First place was secured by Team Spirit, who received $1,426,727 (42.5% of the total prize pool). In the upper bracket semifinals of the playoffs, the team lost to Team Vision with a score of 1:2. After dropping to the lower bracket, Team Spirit won their matches against Team Liquid, BoomBoys, and Team Yandex with an identical score of 2:0. The grand final featured a rematch against Team Vision, which ended with a score of 3:2 in favor of Team Spirit.
The Team Spirit roster at this tournament included players Yatoro, Larl, Collapse, not me, and rue. The coaching staff consisted of Miposhka and MiLAN. Following the results of the tournament, Yatoro is a three-time champion of The International.
Second place in the tournament was taken by Team Vision, earning $436,472. Third place and $302,089 went to Team Yandex. Fourth place was occupied by BoomBoys, while fifth and sixth places were shared by Nigma Galaxy and Team Liquid.
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