BoomBoys advance to the Top 6 after eliminating Iron Wing from The International 2026.
Iron Wing (aka 1win) were the first team to be eliminated from The International (TI) 2026 Playoffs after they fell victim to a 2-1 reverse sweep at the hands of 
BoomBoys (aka BetBoom Team) in the first round of the lower bracket on Friday (21 August).
The result sent Iron Wing out of the tournament in 7th–8th place, earning them an estimated US$129,230 in consolation. Meanwhile, BoomBoys secured at least a Top 6 finish, with an estimated US$$161,571 in winnings. They advance through the lower bracket to meet the loser of the upper bracket semifinal between 
Team Spirit and 
TEAM VISION (aka PARIVISION), which will be determined later today.
The result marks a middling outing for the renowned Iron Wing squad. The team were highly dominant during the early phase of the 2025–2026 competitive season, winning four Tier 1 tournaments under the 
Tundra Esports banner. The feat would have established them as one of the favourites for this year’s championship, had it not been for their drastic loss of form in recent months, which made them one of the more unpredictable forces heading into TI 2026. The Top 8 finish represents an improvement on their recent performances, but it still falls short of Iron Wing’s stature, particularly with two-time TI champion 
Neta “33” Shapira at the helm.
That said, being eliminated by BoomBoys isn’t quite a shock, as the Eastern European powerhouse were widely expected to challenge for the TI 2026 podium. During this competitive season, BoomBoys delivered their most consistent and decorated campaign to date, finishing on the podium at five Tier 1 tournaments, including a runner-up finish at the landmark Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2026 last month. BoomBoys also defeated Iron Wing during the TI 2026 Group Stage, repeating their three-map series victory in the Playoffs.
While 33 fell short of claiming his third Aegis, BoomBoys continue their quest for the Aegis of Champions, which would give the organisation and its talent-packed squad the world championship title for the first time.
Iron Wing and BoomBoys’ journey at The International 2026 so far
Heading into the year’s most significant Dota 2 tournament, BoomBoys packed major expectations given their consistent performance throughout the season. The team won PGL Wallachia Season 8 in April, finished second in two tournaments including in the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2026 last most, as well as clinching several 3rd to 4th placements in other Tier 1 events.
Iron Wing on the other hand, had four Tier 1 trophies claimed in the early season, winning FISSURE PLAYGROUND 1, BLAST Slam II, BLAST Slam III, and BLAST Slam IV. This record posted the most wins earned by a team in the season so far. But the team rapidly dwindled in recent months, struggling to even make the top-half of tournaments. Despite the rough mid-season, many were anticipating the team to return to shape any time soon. The team delivered a deep-enough run at TI 2026, but ran out of fuel to fall short from higher placements.
In the championship tournament, both BoomBoys and Iron Wing went through similar paths. BoomBoys posted a 2-3 win-loss record with wins over 
OG and Iron Wing, but suffered consecutive losses against TEAM VISION, 
Aurora Gaming, and 
Team Falcons. Iron Wing had the slight edge with a final record of 3-2, alternating wins and losses. The team won against 
Nigma Galaxy, Team Falcons, and 
Team Yandex but lost to BoomBoys and 
Team Liquid–with all series going to a third-map except for a the sweep against Nigma Galaxy.
The result sent both teams to the Elimination Round with BoomBoys and Iron Wing both sweeping Aurora Gaming and 
GamerLegion, respectively, to reach the Playoffs.
In the Playoffs, both teams suffered a sour start to their Main Stage campaigns. Iron Wing were soundly swept by Team Spirit in the opening series of the day, while BoomBoys failed to mount a comeback against TEAM VISION, with a narrow 1-2 loss. The outcome sent both into the lower bracket, clashing for their lives in the tournament. BoomBoys ultimately prevailed, ending Iron Wing’s TI 2026 campaign and keeping their own title hopes alive.
How BoomBoys eliminated Iron Wing from the TI 2026 Playoffs
The series between BoomBoys and Iron Wing was a concoction of nerve-wracking team fights and long periods of farming, with both teams displaying similar movements and approaches to team fighting.
The opening game was largely barren of engagements, with both teams spreading out across the map to farm, resulting in a balanced net worth and map control 20 minutes into the game. Iron Wing had more success with their pick-offs, however, making multiple smoke attempts to catch BoomBoys, although these barely scratched the enemy to build a significant advantage.
By the 30-minute mark, Iron Wing approached BoomBoys in the enemy triangle, with both teams manoeuvring around each other and waiting for an opening. Although BoomBoys won the ensuing engagement, claiming three kills, Iron Wing regrouped just minutes later to avenge the deaths.
At this point, Kiritych’s Templar Assassin had a narrow lead at the top of the net worth chart, followed by three of Iron Wing’s cores. Among the gold leaders, however, Pure’s Chaos Knight made the biggest impact, claiming multiple kills and catching out-of-position enemies. He snowballed alongside the rest of the team as they eventually began sieging the enemy base.
What started as a slow defence of the midlane tower quickly became disastrous for BoomBoys, as Iron Wing managed to bait out their initiations and pick off their team members one by one. Soon, four BoomBoys players were dead without buybacks. Recognising their opponents’ state, Iron Wing began decimating the Tier 4 towers, forcing BoomBoys to surrender at the 37-minute mark.
In the second game, Iron Wing led the early fights and dominated the laning stage, building a 5K net worth lead by the 17-minute mark–a mirror of what happened in the first game. However, an overly aggressive move deep into BoomBoys’ territory saw Iron Wing lose three players, with the last falling to a well-timed Winter’s Curse from Kataomi’s Winter Wyvern.
The game began to swing back and forth, with Iron Wing gaining the upper hand in the next engagement. 10 minutes later, BoomBoys had made a quick initiation to take down Roshan, with deep vision already in place. When Iron Wing marched towards the pit to contest, gpk’s Puck jumped on 33’s Dark Seer with Dream Coil, while his teammates helped shut down the crowd controller. This resulted in another three kills for BoomBoys and a safely secured Aegis.
The game slowed down after a high-ground defence by Iron Wing forced BoomBoys to retreat. However, as the game entered its later stages, Kiritych’s IO became increasingly powerful, overwhelming Iron Wing and helping BoomBoys secure their first lane of barracks by the 44-minute mark.
Two minutes later, the teams engaged in Iron Wing’s triangle, but it was a heavily one-sided fight in favour of BoomBoys. IO dominated the area with his Spirits, gpk’s Puck claimed a triple kill to extend his Beyond Godlike streak, while Centaur Warrunner repeatedly saved teammates who were in perilous health. BoomBoys ultimately completed the first step to their series comeback.
While BoomBoys had slipped up at various points in the first two games, the third was where the team finally locked in. With a last-pick Viper given to gpk, BoomBoys enjoyed a comfortable early game, as the lane dominator secured early kills and quickly climbed to the top of the net worth chart. IO, this time in Pure’s hands, struggled to survive the early pressure as BoomBoys brought reinforcements to push the hero out of his lane.
As the game progressed, BoomBoys continued to rack up kills and build a sizeable gold advantage, with both Viper and Kiritych’s Kez making significant contributions to fights. The team then grouped up to take Roshan at the 22-minute mark. Although Iron Wing attempted to contest, a quick Winter’s Curse set them up for disaster as BoomBoys wrapped around and decimated four members of the team, including Pure’s IO, who had only just respawned.
Even with the rough start, Iron Wing would go on to win several successful fights after, bringing the net worth back to an even footing as Io recovered and reclaimed the gold lead.
However, it took just one decisive fight on Iron Wing’s high ground for BoomBoys to seal the victory. They obliterated the opposing heroes in a prolonged engagement, eventually shutting them down inside their own fountain and closing out the series with a 2–1 reverse sweep.
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.
The list of directly-invited teams to TI 2026 include 
Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys (aka BetBoom Team), 
Team Falcons, 
Team Liquid, Iron Wing (aka 1w Team), 
Xtreme Gaming, and 
Team Yandex. Meanwhile, the teams that earned their spots through the regional qualifiers include European qualifier winners 
Team Spirit, TEAM VISION (aka PARIVISION), 
HULIGANI, and 
Nigma Galaxy, North American qualifier winner 
GamerLegion, Southeast Asian qualifier winner 
OG, South American qualifier winner 
LGD Gaming, as well as Chinese qualifier winners 
Vici Gaming and 
Team Resilience.
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.
TI 2026's prize pool follows that of previous editions, with a US$1.6 million base prize pool that will then be boosted through sales of the TI 2026 Compendium.
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