TEAM VISION are the first team to advance to The International 2026 grand finals

The biggest favourites to claim this year's Aegis of Champions are now just one victory away from the title.

Eastern European Dota 2 juggernauts TEAM VISION (aka PARIVISION) became the first team to advance to the grand finals of The International (TI) 2026 after they defeated regional rivals Team Yandex, 2-1, in the upper bracket finals on Saturday (22 August).

VISION were seen as by far the biggest favourites to claim this year's Aegis of Champions, and they are now one more victory away from doing just that. 

After finishing third in last year's tournament, VISION's roster featuring Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov, Volodymyr “No[o]ne” Minenko, Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko, Naltakyan “9Class” Edgar, and Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin make their first-ever TI grand finals. VISION coach Clement “Puppey” Ivanov also makes his first TI grand finals appearance as a coach after four previous appearances as a player. Puppey was notably part of the Natus Vincere squad that won the first-ever TI all the way back in 2011.

With their victory in the upper bracket finals, VISION have also guaranteed themselves at least a second place finish as well as an estimated US$425,932 in winnings. Of course, VISION have their sights set on claiming the grand prize of US$1.39 million and carving their names onto the Aegis of Champions. 

Meanwhile, Yandex drop down to the lower bracket finals, where they will face the winner of the lower bracket semifinals between Team Spirit and BoomBoys (aka BetBoom Team) to kick off the final day of the tournament. The victors of the lower bracket finals will earn the right to challenge Yandex for the Aegis of Champions in the grand finals.

TEAM VISION go undefeated in the Group Stage while Team Yandex struggle

VISION were quick to cement their position as the biggest favourites in TI 2026 by going undefeated in the Group Stage and advancing directly to the Playoffs. 

VISION kicked off their Group Stage campaign by defeating China's Team Resilience in three games in Round 1, then followed it up with another three-game victory against defending champions Team Falcons in Round 2. In Round 3, VISION put themselves in position for a direct berth to the Playoffs by soundly sweeping BoomBoys. VISION then swept Spirit in Round 4 of the Group Stage to secure their spot in the main event.

Yandex were considered as VISION's biggest rival for the world championship, but looked like a shadow of their former selves during the Group Stage. While Yandex won their opening match of the Group Stage against HULIGANI, they suffered back-to-back losses against Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming in the next two rounds. Yandex then bounced back in Round 4 by routing Team Resilience, and needed to win in Round 5 to have the luxury of selecting their opponent in the Elimination Stage. 

However, Yandex fell in three games to Iron Wing (aka 1w Team) and finished the Group Stage with an abysmal 2-3 record, which meant they entered the Elimination Stage as the lower seed.

Yandex were matched up against a surging LGD Gaming squad, who had momentum behind them thanks in large part to the heroics of last-minute stand-in and two-time TI champion  Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen. After getting mauled in game one by LGD, Yandex managed to right the ship and pull off a 2-1 reverse sweep to advance to the main event. 

TEAM VISION and Team Yandex dominate the Playoffs ahead of upper bracket finals clash

In the Playoffs, VISION fended off more of their regional rivals in the first two rounds of the upper bracket to advance to the upper bracket finals. VISION defeated BoomBoys in the upper bracket quarterfinals then outlasted Spirit in the upper bracket semifinals, with both matches going to three games.

Meanwhile, Yandex finally looked like the top contenders they truly were once they reached the main stage. VISION first soundly swept Liquid in the upper bracket quarterfinals before overcoming Nigma Galaxy in the upper bracket semifinals. That showdown against Nigma Galaxy notably showcased Yandex's grit, as they bounced back from a demoralising 74-minute loss in game one to claim the series victory in a 2-1 reverse sweep.

And so, the upper bracket finals showdown between VISION and Yandex that many predicted would happen was set, even if Yandex took a very different path to get there. 

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 Gamingand 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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