TI15’s biggest disappointments: From Xtreme to Liquid, the teams that failed to deliver

Zloster Published August 30, 2026

The International 2026 is over, and we have our new champion in the form of Team Spirit. It’s safe to say this was the most exciting Dota 2 tournament of the year, but not all teams played that well.

Some of the Dota 2 teams that took part in the event did not live up to the expectations, so let’s see what happened.

Xtreme Gaming

Image credit: Valve

It seems like TI15 was the last nail in the coffin for the Chinese Dota 2 scene. More than 10 years after a team from this region last lifted the Aegis, all three Chinese participants at The International 2026 were eliminated before the Playoffs.

Xtreme Gaming is probably the biggest disappointment because people and the Dota 2 odds had high expectations for them. Wang “Ame” Chunyu was one of the players to watch at TI15 because he had never lifted the Aegis before. Sadly, he also failed to do it in 2026 after XG were eliminated in the Group Stage.

The team only finished with 1 win and 4 losses and was among the first to be eliminated.

Team Falcons

Image credit: Valve

Aside from being the current champion, Team Falcons also represented the strongest Dota 2 region at TI15, so players had high hopes. To be fair, the team lived up to expectations in the Group Stage and defeated Vici in the Elimination Round, but that is where the team’s success ended.

Once Round 1 of the Playoffs began, the Falcons had to play against Nigma Galaxy. Despite being the favorites, the team was unable to overcome its motivated opponent and lost.

After falling to the Lower Bracket, Team Falcons had another huge challenge in the face of Team Liquid. This turned out to be among the most intriguing series of TI15 so far, but in the end, Liquid won. Sadly, the defeat of Team Falcons’ ambitions of winning a second The International.

Team Liquid

Image credit: Valve

The last Dota 2 team to disappoint many fans is Team Liquid. Following the impressive performance in the Group Stage (4 wins and 1 loss), Liquid got a slot for the UB Quarterfinals with Dota 2 stats favoring them. The bad news for them was that they had to face Team Yandex, one of the heavy favorites. While Game 1 was close, Team Yandex ultimately proved much better and sent their opponents to the Lower Bracket.

As already mentioned, Liquid defeated Team Falcons there, but the next challenge proved to be too difficult. Michael “miCKe” Vu and his crew had to play versus Team Spirit, and the series did not end well for them.

Spirit was clearly on another level in both games, eliminating their opponents from the tournament. The squad went on to win the entire tournament.

What Happens Now that The International 2026 is Over?

Since these three Dota 2 powerhouses had big problems at TI15, we would not be surprised if they decide to make significant roster changes. In fact, the post-TI weeks are always bust with transfers, so we will have to wait and see what happens.

As for the champions, Team Spirit proved they are better than everyone else and lifted the Aegis. We will continue to monitor their performance to see if they can maintain their current tempo.

Featured image credit: Valve

Related to:

Xtreme Gaming

Team Falcons

Team Liquid The International 2026 Playoffs