Valve has revealed details surrounding The International 2026, Dota 2’s most prestigious worldwide esports tournament, including the teams that are directly invited, information about qualifiers, and ticket information.
Seven teams were directly invited to The International 2026, including: Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex.
The International 2026 will feature 16 teams altogether, so there are nine spots left. These will be determined by Regional Qualifiers around the world, which are as follows:
- China: 2 spots, June 15 to June 18
- South America: 1 spot, June 15 to June 19
- Southeast Asia: June 19 to June 23
- Europe: 4 spots, June 21 to June 28
- North America: 1 spot, June 24 to June 26
The teams that will be at the Regional Qualifiers are mostly determined, and players can find information about them here. However, there are spots in the Regional Qualifiers that are filled by Open Qualifiers in the same region.
From there, the teams that are fighting for the Aegis of Champions at The International 2026 in Shanghai, China, will head to the Group Stage. The Group Stage will take place from August 13 to August 16, and the three days will be a five-round Swiss bracket, ending with five elimination matches. The last eight teams will compete from August 20 to August 23.
Tickets for the event will go on sale on June 10, 2026, at 2 pm (China Standard Time). The first 30 minutes will be reserved for domestic sales before opening up to international sales.
There are several different pass options fans can choose from, which are broken down by section and days below:
More information about ticket sales, including where to purchase them, can be found here.
