TI 2026 Teams: Who Is Booked for Shanghai So Far

The TI 2026 teams are filling in across June: seven direct invites were announced in late May, and the remaining nine seats come from regional qualifiers. Several regions are still being decided, so the full sixteen-team field is not yet closed. Here is the confirmed picture, hedged where it should be.

Working out the The International 2026 teams is a moving target right now, and that is normal for this stage. Seven rosters already hold direct invitations to Shanghai, a handful of qualifier winners have booked their places, and the rest of the field is still being fought over. Below is what is genuinely confirmed, kept carefully separate from what is merely reported; the tournament overview frames how this field fits the wider event.

• 7 direct invites: announced around 26 May 2026
• 9 qualifier slots: won across five regional routes
• Confirmed qualifiers so far: LGD Gaming, Vici Gaming
• Field status: not yet closed — several regions still live

The seven TI 2026 direct invites

Valve announced the seven direct invites around 26 May 2026. As currently listed, the invited sides are Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming and Team Yandex. Six of the seven are European rosters, with Xtreme Gaming representing China among the invites. The The International 2026 direct invites reward sustained results across the season rather than a single tournament win.

One nuance worth flagging: the invited Tundra roster appears in some listings under a rebranded name, so if you see a slightly different label attached to that lineup, treat it as the same group of players. We have leaned toward the Tundra label and hedged the rest, because roster naming around invites can shift before the event locks. When in doubt, judge a side by its players rather than the badge above them.

Qualified sides joining the TI 2026 teams picture

Beyond the invites, the qualifier winners are slotting in as their regions conclude. South America's LGD Gaming and China's Vici Gaming had locked their places at the time of writing, with a second Chinese team reported but not uniformly confirmed. The rest of the TI 2026 roster depends on the European, North American and Southeast Asian brackets, which were still live. Our qualifier hub tracks each region's result as it lands.

Until those brackets finish, the field is not closed, and we will not pretend otherwise. The TI 2026 invited teams give the bracket its anchors, but the qualifier sides are what make the event unpredictable — a hungry regional winner has toppled established names at the international before, and 2026 has plenty of room for the same story. Picture the The International 2026 teams as a frame that is still being filled: the invites are the corners already nailed down, the qualifier winners are the pieces dropping into place week by week.

That is also why the early read on the TI 2026 invited teams matters more than usual. With the qualifier sides arriving in form and hungry, the pecking order shifts fast, and a name that looked dominant in the spring can be a step behind by August. Watching how the TI teams settle over the qualifier season is half the fun before a single Shanghai game is played.

Is there a Filipino team in TI 2026?

The question of a filipino team in TI 2026 runs through the Southeast Asian qualifier, which was still being contested at the time of writing. Rosters with Filipino interest have featured in the SEA bracket, but none had secured the region's single slot yet, so we list them only as in contention. The moment the SEA result is official, this page names the qualified side.

For Philippine fans, this is the storyline to watch most closely. A local-interest roster reaching Shanghai would give the whole event a rooting interest, and the SEA slot is the realistic path. Keep an eye on the standings tracker too, because a qualifier underdog can quickly become a group-stage talking point.

The post-TI shuffle context

Every edition reshapes the competitive landscape, and the post TI shuffle is the off-season scramble where rosters break up and reform. Understanding the post TI 2026 shuffle is really about understanding why certain lineups look the way they do heading into Shanghai — players move for a fresh shot at the Aegis, and organisations rebuild around new cores. It is the part of the calendar that quietly sets up the next year's storylines.

While the big shuffle traditionally follows the event, its echoes shape the field that arrives. Some of the invited rosters exist in their current form precisely because of earlier moves, and the qualifier survivors often carry players hunting redemption after a previous shuffle. It is the human story underneath the bracket, and it is part of why the TI teams narrative stays compelling all year.

Frequently asked questions

Which teams have a direct invite to TI 2026?

As currently listed, the seven invited sides are Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming and Team Yandex. All but one are European rosters, with Xtreme Gaming flying the flag for China.

Is the full TI 2026 field confirmed?

No. Seven invites plus a few concluded qualifiers were locked at the time of writing, but the European, North American and Southeast Asian brackets were still live, so the sixteen-team field is not yet closed.

Is there a Filipino team in TI 2026?

Not confirmed. Rosters with Filipino interest have featured in the still-live SEA qualifier, but none had won the region's single slot yet, so we list them as in contention rather than qualified.

What is the post-TI shuffle?

It is the off-season period when Dota 2 rosters disband and reform. The post-TI shuffle explains why many lineups look the way they do, as players chase a fresh shot at the Aegis with new teams.

Why is the Tundra invite name hedged?

Some listings show the invited Tundra lineup under a rebranded name. We treat it as the same group of players and lean on the Tundra label, while flagging that roster naming can shift before the event.

Which qualified teams have joined the field?

At the time of writing, South America's LGD Gaming and China's Vici Gaming had locked their places, with a second Chinese team reported but not uniformly confirmed across sources.