OG are one win away from returning to The International after a three-year absence.
Two-time The International (TI) champion organisation 
OG are just a step away from returning to Dota 2's annual world championship tournament since its last appearance in 2022. OG's all-Filipino roster have reached the grand finals of the TI 2026 Southeast Asian qualifier with a 2-1 victory over Indonesia's 
REKONIX in the upper bracket finals.
OG's victory over REKONIX adds to their dominant streak in the qualifier after consecutive series wins against GLYPH and
Interactive Philippines in previous days. OG will head into the final battle against the lower bracket winner tomorrow.
The potential finalists that will join OG in the grand finals are REKONIX, Grind Back, or
Execration. Grind Back, headlined by 
Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, will square off against Execration in the lower bracket, with the winner advancing to face REKONIX. The eventual winner will take on OG in a best-of-five battle for the sole SEA ticket to The International 2026.
How OG advanced to the finals of TI 2026 SEA Closed Qualifier
In the first game, OG fielded a classic hero pairing, with 
Timothy “TIMS” Randrup's Io and John Anthony “Natsumi-” Vargas's Gyrocopter anchoring a strong early-game line-up alongside Nature's Prophet on Rolen Andre Gabriel “Skem” Ong, Axe on Marc Polo Luis “Raven” Fausto, and Puck on Erin Jasper “Yopaj” Ferrer.
Meanwhile, REKONIX drafted Tiny for 
Musthofa “jikroy” Dzikry Pamungkas, Zeus for Muhammad “InYourDream” Rizky, and Kunkka for Saieful “Fbz” Ilham. The supporting lineup were Lion on Abdalla “Dalul” Afemi and Enchantress on Varizh.
The first map was a walk-in-the-park for OG. They consistently prevailed in the early skirmishes, courtesy of Io's crucial healing, which heavily mitigated REKONIX's pick-offs. It did not take long for OG to control the map, forcing REKONIX to retreat into their base during the mid-game.
With few options remaining, Zeus attempted a late-game Divine Rapier build. While it briefly helped defend the high ground, OG gave REKONIX little room to build on their defence. Eventually, REKONIX ran out of ammo and surrendered at the 48-minute mark.
The second game was a much more intense show.
REKONIX grabbed the Gyrocopter for Jikroy instead, bolstered by InYourDream’s Void Spirit, Fbz’s Primal Beast, dalul’s Hoodwink, and Varizh’s Disruptor.
Over on OG, Yopaj and skem remained with Puck and Nature’s Prophet respectively. An Undying was drafted for Raven, Windranger for Tims, and Dragon Knight for Natsumi.
Contrary to the first match, this second map panned out into a 71-minute bloodbath in favour of REKONIX. A stacked Gyrocopter had quickly led the net worth, towering over the rest of OG. REKONIX largely dominated the game, but their momentum was briefly swayed in the late game after failing a high ground siege. Sure enough, Rapiers began raining into the game and despite some nail-biting deaths and drops, REKONIX remained strong, bulldozing OG's base.
The fate of the game was sealed when Dragon Knight, accompanied by its supports, attempted a hail-mary pick off in enemy’s territory–failing disastrously, ultimately allowing REKONIX to close the game and even out the series.
In the decider game, OG secured the Gyrocopter, this time around flexing it as a support on TIMS. Natsumi played the Windranger, paired once again with Yopaj’s Puck. Lycan was drafted for Raven and Disruptor for skem.
REKONIX saw a slightly different draft with Kez on Jikroy, Viper on Fbz, and Lich on Varizh. Meanwhile we see repeat picks with InYourDream playing Void Spirit and dalul on Hoodwink.
This third and final map unfolded similarly to the previous ones, with Jikroy leading in gold and OG’s cores trailing behind him in net worth. However, OG dictated the overall pace of the game, succeeding in pick-offs and skirmishes in the early game, all while Lycan was busy chipping OG’s towers away.
REKONIX was able to respond in the mid-game, successfully contesting Roshan which allowed them to crack into OG’s base. But it wasn't enough to stop OG, as the they continued winning multiple crucial fights and ultimately trampled the enemy's highground with ease, sealing a 50-minute victory.
A look into OG’s performance this season
OG's win was largely expected as they entered the match as favourites, having secured multiple top-six finishes at Tier 1 events earlier this season. However, it was not all smooth sailing for the all-Filipino squad.
In February, OG suffered a disappointing 9th-10th place finish at DreamLeague Season 28, marking the start of a difficult stretch. The team struggled to find meaningful results across the next three tournaments and even failed to qualify for DreamLeague Season 29, ironically at the hands of REKONIX.
During that period, OG briefly shuffled 
Alexander “TORONTOTOKYO” Khertek in and out of the roster before bringing in established Filipino carry player Raven to fill the offlane role–a move that initially raised eyebrows but has so far paid off.
Now just one series away from qualifying for TI, OG have already surpassed their performances from the previous three seasons. The fan-favourite organisation are expected to secure a place at this year's championship and will be hoping to replicate, or even surpass, their top-eight finish at TI 2022.
A look into REKONIX’s performance this season
REKONIX may not be the bigger name in this match-up, but the team have attended plenty of Tier 1 events this season to firmly stand among Southeast Asia's top contenders.
Formed ahead of the season, Indonesia’s REKONIX entered competitive Dota 2 in July 2025 with the goal of reviving their regional talent. Their journey began modestly, but by January this year, the team found their major breakthrough by qualifying for BLAST Slam VI. REKONIX would then go on to qualify for ESL One Birmingham, DreamLeague Season 29, and secure a highly coveted berth at the Esports World Cup.
Now guided by TI-winning veteran 
Ivan “MinD_ContRoL” Borislavov Ivanov from the coaching seat, REKONIX will be looking to secure their first-ever qualification to The International through the gruelling lower-bracket route.
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.
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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