Team Spirit and Nigma Galaxy have both gone undefeated in the TI 2026 European qualifier so far.
The third day of The International (TI) 2026's European qualifier on Tuesday (23 June) saw its first set of eliminations while two teams get in position to claim the first of four spots in this year's iteration of Dota 2's annual world championship tournament.
Two-time TI champions 
Team Spirit and fan-favourites 
Nigma Galaxy are set to face off for a spot in TI 2026 after they defeated 
Enjoy and 
Natus Vincere (NAVI), respectively, in the second round of the upper bracket. Meanwhile, 
VP.Prodigy and 
Rune Eaters Esports were the first teams to be eliminated from the European qualifier after they lost to 
Team Bald Reborn and MODUS in the first round of the lower bracket.
VP.Prodigy and Rune Eaters are first to fall in the TI 2026 European qualifier
The third day of the TI 2026 European qualifier kicked off in the lower bracket, where VP.Prodigy and Rune Eaters were knocked out of contention by Team Bald Reborn and MODUS.
Team Bald Reborn, a stack notably coached by streamer 
Janne “Gorgc” Stefanovski, opened the action by soundly sweeping VP.Prodigy out of the qualifier. Team Bald Reborn won the opening game of the series in 40 minutes behind a standout performance from carry player 
Indji “Shad” Lub on Dawnbreaker, who paced his team's 29-13 kill lead with 10 kills and 12 assists on two deaths.
VP.Prodigy put up a better fight in game two, managing to hold on until the 45-minute mark before ultimately conceding the series. Mid laner 
Sukhbat “Sanctity-” Otgondavaa on Queen of Pain and Shad on Doom led the way for Team Bald Reborn in the closeout game, with Sanctity notching 18 kills and assists apiece on two deaths while Shad had 17 kills and 20 assists on just one death,
Next on the chopping block were Rune Eaters, whose campaign for a spot in TI 2026 was ended after falling to a 2-1 reverse sweep at the hands of MODUS.
The series had a promising start for Rune Eaters, as they dominated MODUS in 33 minutes and with a very lopsided 20-2 kill lead. However, MODUS were quick to strike back in game two, as mid laner 
Marat “Mirele`” Gazetdinov on Ember Spirit put up a clean 12 kills and seven assists in 37 minutes to force the series to a decider.
Game three then saw both teams on relatively even footing until MODUS started pulling away after mid game. While Rune Eaters attempted to put up a stubborn defense, MODUS were able to methodically grow their net worth lead and slowly grind their opponents down until they called ‘GG’ after 71 minutes of action.
Mirele once again led the way for MODUS in the decider, putting up 11 kills and 21 assists on two deaths as Puck. Promising rookie carry player 
Andrei “bottega” Kopytko on Terrorblade also added 10 kills and 14 assists on five deaths.
Spirit and Nigma Galaxy set up showdown for a spot in TI 2026
The action then shifted to the upper bracket, where Spirit and Nigma Galaxy defeated Enjoy and NAVI to advance to the third round of the upper bracket, where the first of four spots in TI 2026 will be up for grabs.
The first upper bracket series of the day saw Spirit outclass Enjoy in a 2-0 sweep, continuing the two-time TI champions' hot start since Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov returned to the team as their new coach.
Spirit kicked off the series by routing Enjoy in 37 minutes of action behind standout performances from 
Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk on Drow Ranger and Denis “Larl” Sigitov on Earth Spirit. Larl paced his team's 34-11 kill lead with a clean 13 kills and 12 assists while Yatoro added 10 kills and five assists on one death.
While Enjoy were able to last 46 minutes in game two, it was still a stomp as Spirit completed the 2-0 series sweep with up 41-17 in kills. Yatoro showed out on Clinkz with 15 kills and nine assists on two deaths while Larl on Viper had 11 kills and 10 assists on one death. Spirit's newest player, Alexey “not me” Kosmynin, also got in on the action as Techies with nine kills and 16 assists on seven deaths.
Up next was arguably the most anticipated match of the day between Nigma Galaxy and NAVI, with many expecting a closely-contested series. While NAVI were pegged by most as the favourites in the series due to their better results in the season, Nigma Galaxy were a wildcard with their recently overhauled roster that now features 
Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan and Artem “Lorenof” Melnick.
But instead of a three-game slugfest, the match ended in a 2-0 sweep with Nigma Galaxy looking imperious as they advanced to the third round of the upper bracket.
Game one saw Nigma Galaxy pull out what seems to be one of their most favoured hero pairings: SumaiL on Necrophos and Lorenof on Sniper. Those picks showcased their strength as Nigma Galaxy won crucial mid game teamfights that allowed them to crack open NAVI's base early, forcing the ‘GG’ call after 38 minutes. Lorenof led the way with 10 kills and nine assists on two deaths while SumaiL had eight kills and nine assists on one death.
Nigma Galaxy then opened game two with a ballsy move, as they allowed NAVI to pick Lone Druid–a hero that has been an auto-ban in the qualifier so far–then countered it with a high-tempo lineup featuring a carry Magnus for SumaiL, another Sniper pick for Lorenof, and Underlord for 
Cedric “Davai Lama” Deckmyn.
Nigma Galaxy allowed the enemy Lone Druid to free farm, instead electing to shut down all the other NAVI heroes. That decision worked out well, as while the Lone Druid proved to be a menace, his teammates were not able to adequately support him in the teamfights. After a huge fight around the 32-minute mark where they took down the Spirit Bear and the Lone Druid, Nigma Galaxy wasted little time in demolishing their opponents' base and securing the 2-0 sweep in another 38-minute affair. Lorenof notably racked up the kills in the closeout game with 14 kills and eight assists on one death.
What's next in the TI 2026 European qualifier?
The fourth day of the TI 2026 European qualifier will feature the matches in the second round of the upper bracket and the first round of the lower bracket for the other half of the qualifier. Two more teams will be eliminated from contention while two others will get within touching distance of a spot in TI 2026.
Here are the matchups for the fourth day of the TI 2026 European qualifier:
Upper bracket round 2
Virtus.pro
Yellow Submarine
TEAM VISIONLower bracket round 1
MOUZ
IC x Insanity
HULIGANIWhat 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, and Southeast Asian qualifier winner 
OG.
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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