Tickets to The International 2026 will give fans access to the main event in the Oriental Sports Center from 20 to 23 August.
Dota 2 developer Valve has revealed that tickets to The International (TI) 2026, this year's iteration of the game's annual world championship tournament, will go on sale on 10 June at 2PM GMT+8.
Those tickets will give fans access to TI 2026's main event in the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China from 20 to 23 August. Two ticket options are available for sale: single-day tickets for any day or two-day ticket bundles covering the 20 to 21 August and 22 to 23 August game days. In addition, all seating in TI 2026 will be assigned with no General Admission options available.
Ticket details for TI 2026 were announced shortly after Valve revealed the list of directly-invited teams to the tournament. Unlike previous years, only seven teams earned direct invites to this year's TI, namely defending champions 
Team Falcons, 
Team Liquid, and 
Tundra Esports from Western Europe; 
Aurora Gaming, 
Team Yandex, and 
BetBoom Team from Eastern Europe, and 
Xtreme Gaming from China.
With only seven directly-invited teams this year, nine slots in TI 2026 will be up for grabs in the regional qualifiers. Valve has also introduced a change to the TI regional qualifier this year, by merging Western Europe and Eastern Europe into one single qualifier with four advancement slots, compared to previous years when the two regions had their own qualifiers.
The International 2026 ticket prices
Tickets to TI 2026 will vary based on day and section, with four tiers of tickets available. For Tier D, single-day ticket prices will range from US$60 for 20 to 21 August game days, to US$105 for the grand finals day on 23 August. Tier A single-day tickets, on the other hand, will range from US$165 to US$265.
Meanwhile, two-day ticket bundles will range from US$110 (20 to 21 August game days) to US$170 (22 to 23 August game days) for Tier D, and US$320 (20 to 21 August game days) to US$460 (22 to 23 August game days) for Tier A.
For the full chart of seating options and ticket prices, see below:
Where can you purchase tickets to The International 2026?
There are two purchase paths for tickets to TI 2026: one for fans purchasing domestically within China, and another for purchasing internationally.
Chinese domestic ticket sales will be available through Damai or the Perfect World app, and will require a Chinese ID to complete any sale. Once ticket sales begin on 10 June at 2PM CST, the first twenty minutes will serve as a priority purchase period for domestic tickets. During this priority purchase period, ticket sales will be restricted to active Dota players in China who have played at least 10 games within the last six months.
Meanwhile, international ticket sales will open on 10 June at 2:30PM GMT+8 via Trip.com. A Trip.com account and a valid passport are required for international ticket purchases.
Tickets to TI 2026 cannot be transferred, gifted, or resold, and can only be used by the names for which they were purchased. While an individual can purchase tickets for a group, ticketing platforms limit each individual account to a maximum of two tickets per day. Multiple transactions may be required, depending on the size of your group and how many days you wish to attend.
What is The International 2026?
TI 2026 will be this year's iteration of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament, taking place in August in Shanghai, China. As with previous iterations of the tournament, TI 2026 will feature a total of 16 teams that earn their spots in the tournament by receiving direct invites or earning slots through regional qualifiers.
TI 2026's main event will be hosted in the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. Valve first announced that Shanghai will host TI 2026 during last year's world championship tournament, where Team Falcons claimed the Aegis of Champions after defeating China's Xtreme Gaming in the five-game grand finals.
This will mark the second time that Shanghai will host TI after TI 2019, where Western Europe's 
OG became the first-ever two-time TI champions after defeating Team Liquid in four games to claim the grand prize of US$15.6 million, out of the US$34.3 million prize pool.
TI 2026 will be split into two phases: the ‘Road to The International’ and ‘The International’ main event. The Road to The International will be a Swiss-style Group Stage from 13 to 16 August, where the 16 teams will be cut down to the final eight that will play in the game's biggest stage from 20 to 23 August in Shanghai's Oriental Sports Center.
While Valve have yet to reveal the details on TI 2026's prize pool, the tournament is expected to follow last year's prize pool format with a US$1.6 million base prize pool. The prize pool will then be boosted through sales of the TI 2026 Compendium.
For Dota 2 match results and updates on the go, don't forget to check out our Telegram channel.
