23savage's stack, Grind Back, remain among the final three teams vying for Southeast Asia's sole TI qualification slot.
Grind Back, a team led by star Thai carry player
Nuengnara “23savage” Teeramahanon, have eliminated 
Execration 2-0 from The International (TI) 2026 Southeast Asian qualifier after sweeping the all-Filipino squad in the lower bracket semifinals. The victory propels the month-old stack into the lower bracket finals, where they stand just two series wins away from reaching this year's championship.
In the lower bracket finals, set to take place tomorrow, Grind Back will face 
REKONIX in a revenge match-up. The Indonesian team had knocked them down to the lower bracket earlier in the tournament, forcing Grind Back to deliver a lower bracket run.
The two teams will battle for a place in the grand final, where an undefeated 
OG await. The winner of the best-of-five finale will become Southeast Asia's sole representative at TI 2026.
A look into Grind Back’s formation
While the remaining teams in the SEA Closed Qualifier–OG and REKONIX–were widely expected to be the frontrunners, Grind Back have emerged as an unexpected contender.
The squad was formed just a month ago and features former 
Talon Esports stars 23savage, Worawit “Q” Mekchai, and 
Chon Kien “Oli” Chan, alongside Filipinos 
Argle Ken “Ken” Llesis and Nikko “Force” Bilocura–the latter having been released by OG just two months ago.
The stack endured a long and gruelling run, beginning their campaign in the first Open Qualifier and steadily inching closer to the coveted TI berth. Although they suffered a 0-2 defeat to REKONIX in the upper bracket, Grind Back have eliminated several strong teams to reach this stage.
Grind Back first defeated Mentality Monster 2-0 before knocking out Open Qualifier champions
Carstensz Esports in another sweep in the lower bracket. They then completed a reverse sweep against a prominent contender, GLYPH, and followed it up with a dominant victory over Execration in their latest outing.
How Grind Back defeated Execration in the TI 2026 SEA qualifier
Grind Back were dominant throughout the series, dismantling Execration in exactly 45 minutes in both maps.
In the first game, while Eljohn “Akashi” Andales's Nature's Prophet held the net worth lead, the rest of Execration lagged far behind, with all three of Grind Back's cores overtaking them. Recognising their advantage, Grind Back secured an easy Roshan before marching onto Execration's high ground at the 33-minute mark.
Execration made multiple attempts to burst down 23's Tiny and other key heroes to turn the tides of the game, but Q on Tusk and Oli on Bane repeatedly came up with crucial saves, creating ample space for Tiny to thrive. 23savage eventually amassed a Beyond Godlike streak and finished the game with a flawless 15/0/9 KDA.
The second game followed a similar script. Ken's Void Spirit stole the spotlight in team fights this time around while Nikko provided pinpoint crowd control on his Primal Beast. With the Aegis consistently in their hands and team fights firmly under control, Grind Back wasted no time sieging Execration's high ground and eventually forced a series-ending surrender.
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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