Three more teams will qualify from Europe to secure their place at The International 2026.

Two-time The International champions Team Spirit have claimed the first European qualification slot to reach The International 2026, earning their TI berth by defeating Nigma Galaxy 2–1 in the first qualification decider.

Team Spirit have now secured their sixth consecutive TI appearance, a streak that began with their championship-winning debut in 2021. They join Team Resilience and Vici Gaming from China, LGD Gaming from South America, and OG from Southeast Asia among the teams already qualified. Four more teams will be confirmed in the coming days, with three emerging from Europe and another from North America.

Team Spirit were widely expected to attend The International this year, however, many did not anticipate that they would need to do so through the regional qualifier. The team did not make Valve’s list of direct invites, likely falling just short after a comparatively inconsistent season by their own high standards.

Even so, the qualification path appeared wide open for the two-time TI winning team. The only opponent that stood neck and neck with Team Spirit was TEAM VISION(also known as PARIVISION), another powerhouse that was shockingly left out from the direct invitations. But with the newly unified European region receiving four qualification slots, there was little concern about either team securing a place at the world championship.

Team Spirit had a smooth journey to earn the slot, their performance possibly amped further by the recent return of Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov. The former captain was a key figure behind both of the organisation's Aegis-winning campaigns, who recently returned from an extended hiatus to take on a coaching role.

While Spirit can now breathe a sigh of relief, the journey is not over for Nigma Galaxy. The team remains in contention through the lower bracket and remain a series away from TI qualification. Nigma are expected to face either Power Rangers, Team Bald Reborn, Yellow Submarine, or MODUSin the final qualification decider, depending on the outcome of the remaining matches. Their matchup will take place on 28 June.

How Team Spirit qualified for The International 2026

Team Spirit had a favourable path to TI 2026 from the offset, as PARIVISION had been placed on the opposite side of the qualifier bracket, ensuring the two favourites would not meet in the upper bracket.

Spirit began their campaign with a dominant victory over VP.Prodigy before dispatching the Aybek “TA2000” Tokayev-led stack Enjoyin similarly convincing fashion, reaching the qualification match without dropping a series.

Their toughest test came against a revitalised Nigma Galaxy. Spirit lost the opening game after what appeared to be a draft disadvantage, eventually falling after 63 minutes despite multiple comeback attempts. 

The team then bounced back convincingly. Led by a Beyond Godlike performance from Denis “Larl” Sigitov's Ember Spirit, Spirit crushed Nigma in a 41-minute second game, before completing the reverse sweep in dominant fashion, with Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk's Sven proving unstoppable in the decider to book their ticket to The International 2026. 

What are The International 2026 qualifier regions, dates, and slots?

The International 2026 regional qualifiers cover North America, South America, China, Southeast Asia, and a newly unified European region, replacing the traditional split between Western and Eastern Europe. 

Here are the dates and slots per region of TI 2026 Closed Qualifiers:

China

  • Dates: 15–18 June
  • Slot(s): 2

South America

  • Dates: 15–19 June
  • Slot(s): 1

SEA

  • Dates: 19–23 June
  • Slot(s): 1

Europe

  • Dates: 21–28 June
  • Slot(s): 4

North America

  • Dates: 24–26 June
  • Slot(s): 1

The qualifier winners will join the directly invited teams–Aurora Gaming, BetBoom Team, Team Falcons,Team Liquid, 1w Team, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex–to complete the 16-team field. 

The list of qualified teams to TI 2026 so far include Chinese qualifier winners  Team Resilience and Vici Gaming as well as South American qualifier winner LGD Gaming. Southeast Asia's OG are now the latest team added to the list.

The International 2026 will take place in Shanghai, China, from 13 to 23 August, with a current prize pool of US$1.6 million. The tournament's final four days will be held live at the Oriental Sports Center, where the world's best team will be crowned champions in this 15th edition of The International.

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