Every region competing at The International 2026 (TI15), explained

Zloster Published August 13, 2026

The International 2026 will be Dota 2’s most important tournament and it will take place from August 13 to 23 in Shanghai, China. We will see 16 Dota 2 teams from all regions. Some of them received an invitation, whereas others had to secure their spot after playing in the qualifiers.

But how did each region perform and who are its representatives? That’s what we will find out today, so let’s begin.

Eastern Europe

A quick look at the current Dota 2 TI15 teams will show you that Eastern Europe has the following representatives:

• 1w Team (Iron Wing) – Invited
• BetBoom Team (BoomBoys) – Invited
• Aurora Gaming – Invited
• Team Yandex – Invited
• PARIVISION – Qualified
• L1GA TEAM (HULIGANI) – Qualified
• Team Spirit – Qualified

As you can see, EEU is definitely the region to keep an eye on. All seven teams are forces to be reckoned with right now and have good chances of winning the Aegis.

1w Team, BetBoom Team, Team Yandex and Aurora Gaming received a direct invitation for the tournament. L1GA, Team Spirit and PARIVISION, on the other hand, had to earn their spot via The International 2026 qualifiers. All of these teams are solid Dota 2 betting options and people will follow them closely.

An interesting fact is that Europe had a single qualifier (there wasn’t a separate Western and Eastern European qualifier like before). This made securing a spot even more challenging because the best EEU squads had to compete against the leading WEU nations. Speaking of the devil, let’s analyze them.

Image Credit: ESL

Western Europe

Historically, Western Europe has been the strongest Dota 2 region at The International. Even though TI15 looks like an exception, there are a few teams worth noting:

• Team Falcons
• Team Liquid
• Nigma Galaxy

All three of them are regional powerhouses that have proven they can take down anyone. Team Falcons is actually the reigning TI champion and they will do everything possible to defend its title. Liquid has historically been one of the best TI teams, whereas Nigma is the only one to end up here after playing in the TI15 regional qualifiers.

North America

Gone are the days when North America was a Dota 2 powerhouse, as the region has been struggling. After following the road to The International 2026, we only found one team from this part of the world – GamerLegion.

The team played in the Dota 2 regional qualifiers 2026 and had to go up against the likes of 4 Anchor and ilmeria, GG Boom, and The Bug. As expected, the team had no issues and secured three victories without dropping a series. Now, it will have to go up against the best in the world in Shanghai.

South America

Although in a better position than NA, South America will also have only one team. After the TI15 qualification journey, LGD Gaming secured the only spot for this region and will defend SA’s pride.

It was not easy for the team, as they had to play against several big names, including Team Nemesis, Hokori and PlayTime. In the end, LGD prevailed, so we will see them going up against the other Dota 2 powerhouses.

Southeast Asia

If we take a look at the TI15 qualified teams, we will see that SEA only has one team – OG. This used to be one of the regions with the most interesting representatives, but since it only received one slot, we will only see the Filipino squad in action.

OG had to deal with several big names to secure their slot, including REKONIX and Grind Back. The latter had the likes of 23savage and Nikko, but it was unable to defeat Yopaj- and co.

China

Last but definitely not least, we will have three The International 2026 teams coming from China:

• Xtreme Gaming (Invited)
• Team Resilience
• Vici Gaming

The last two played in the Chinese Dota 2 qualifiers and defeated big names like Yakutou Brothers and Team Refuser. Most people expected to see the latter in action, but Monet and his crew were unable to overcome Vici Gaming and Team Resilience.

As for Xtreme Gaming, it is the only Chinese Dota 2 team to receive a direct invitation. We also believe it’s the region’s biggest hope of bringing home the Aegis, something that hasn’t happened since 2016, during the Wings Gaming era. Keep in mind that XG actually reached the grand final last year when it lost against Team Falcons.

Closing thoughts

The current Dota 2 esports 2026 scene is definitely focused on European teams, but this is for a reason. They have been on another level and are the biggest favorites to win the Aegis once more. Can the Chinese powerhouses get in their way? We will have to wait and see. Let us know your thoughts in our forums.

Featured image credit: Valve