Dota 2 TI 2026: Teams Confirmed for Direct Invites and Qualifiers
The journey to The International 2026 has kicked off, with seven Dota 2 teams already secured through direct invitations. The remaining nine slots will be filled via regional qualifiers set for June.
Here’s the complete lineup of all 16 teams set to compete at Dota 2 TI 2026, along with their rosters.
| Team | Roster | Qualification Path |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Gaming | Nightfall Mikoto Ws Mira kaori |
Direct invite |
| BoomBoys (also known as BetBoom Team) |
Kiritych~ gpk~ MieRo` Save- Kataomi |
Direct invite |
| Team Falcons | skiter Malr1ne ATF Cr1t- Sneyking |
Direct invite |
| Team Liquid | m1CKe Nisha Ace Boxi tOfu |
Direct invite |
| 1win Team (acquired roster of ) |
Pure bzm 33 Ari Whitemon |
Direct invite |
| Xtreme Gaming | Ame NothingToSay Xxs fy xNova |
Direct invite |
| Team Yandex | watson CHIRA_JUNIOR DM Saksa Malady |
Direct invite |
| TBD | TBD | European Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | European Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | European Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | European Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | China Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | China Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | Southeast Asia Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | South America Qualifier |
| TBD | TBD | North America Qualifier |
Valve granted seven direct invitations for TI 2026 based on the teams’ performances during the Dota 2 2025-26 competitive season thus far. This year, only seven teams received direct invites instead of the usual eight, leaving an additional slot to be contested in the qualifiers.
The direct invitees are no surprise. Falcons, the reigning TI champions, have continued to dominate this season, while Liquid and 1w (formerly Tundra) remain among the most reliable teams globally. Aurora and Yandex have both clinched tier-one event victories, and Xtreme Gaming has delivered impressive performances across various tournaments.
| Region | No. of Slots | No. of Participating Teams | Invited Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 4 | 16 | TEAM VISION (also known as PARIVISION) Team Spirit MOUZ Natus Vincere Nigma Galaxy Virtus.pro Enjoy (former players of 1win) |
| China | 2 | 8 | Vici Gaming Roar Gaming Yakult Brothers Team Resilience |
| Southeast Asia | 1 | 10 | REKONIX OG Execration Team Nemesis GLYPH |
| South America | 1 | 10 | LGD Gaming (former players of ) PlayTime (former players of ) Estar Backs Red Hot Chili Pibble Amaru Gaming Hokori |
| North America | 1 | 4 | GamerLegion |
Here’s a look at the schedules for the regional qualifiers:
A significant change this year is the introduction of a unified Europe qualifier, merging Eastern and Western Europe into a single region, which now claims nearly half of the available qualifier spots with four. Team Spirit, PARIVISION (competing as TEAM VISION), NAVI, Nigma Galaxy, Virtus.pro, and MOUZ are all set to vie for these four coveted spots.
On paper, Spirit and PARIVISION appear to be the frontrunners, but nothing is set in stone in such a competitive European bracket. Many fans, myself included, anticipated that at least one of these teams would secure an automatic berth given their strong performances this season, but both will now need to fight for their place through the qualifiers. Roster changes and inconsistent results earlier in the year may have influenced their exclusion from direct invites.
In China, Vici Gaming stands out as the strongest contender, having brought in Team Tidebound, which features TI6 champions Bach (Faith_Bian) and y`. In Southeast Asia, REKONIX and OG are viewed as the leading teams, while LGD Gaming (formerly HEROIC) and GamerLegion are expected to excel in the South America and North America qualifiers, respectively.
