The International 2026 — Shanghai
Live stream
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The International 2026
The International returns to China for the first time since TI9 in 2019. Sixteen of the best Dota 2 teams in the world compete for the Aegis of Champions across 10 days of Swiss-system groups, double-elimination playoffs, and a $1.6M base prize pool (typically grows to $3M+ with the Battle Pass crowdfunding).
Where to watch
- **Twitch** (primary, English): [twitch.tv/pgl_dota2](https://twitch.tv/pgl_dota2)
- **YouTube** (mirror): [PGL channel](https://www.youtube.com/@pgl)
- **Chinese stream**: Douyu (douyu.com/dota2official)
- **Russian stream**: Twitch (twitch.tv/dota2mc_ru)
The PGL production is the same high-quality broadcast you've seen at the last three TIs — multi-cam coverage, real-time stats overlay, and instant replay for every team fight.
Format
- **Group stage** (Aug 13-15): Two groups of 8, Swiss-system. Top 4 from each group advance to playoffs.
- **Playoffs** (Aug 16-22): Double-elimination bracket. Upper bracket and lower bracket, grand final is best-of-5.
- **Grand final** (Aug 23): 8 teams enter playoffs, 1 leaves with the Aegis.
The format is the same as TI 2024 and TI 2025. The Swiss-system groups replaced the old round-robin in 2022 and have proven to be the right call — every group-stage match matters, and the 3-day group stage is intense without being padded.
Schedule (all times ET / UTC-4)
| Day | Date | Stage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 13 | Group A, Round 1 | First matches start at 04:00 ET |
| 2 | Aug 14 | Group B, Round 1 + Group A, Round 2 | |
| 3 | Aug 15 | Group A & B, Round 3 (tiebreakers) | Lower bracket seeding decided |
| 4 | Aug 16 | Playoffs, Round 1 | Upper bracket starts |
| 5 | Aug 17 | Playoffs, Round 2 | Lower bracket Round 1 |
| 6 | Aug 18 | Playoffs, Round 3 | |
| 7 | Aug 19 | Playoffs, Quarterfinals | |
| 8 | Aug 20 | Playoffs, Semifinals | |
| 9 | Aug 21 | Playoffs, Lower-bracket finals | |
| 10 | Aug 22 | Playoffs, Upper-bracket final | |
| 11 | Aug 23 | Grand final | Aegis ceremony after |
Teams to watch
The 16-team field is set. Favorites (per the betting markets and our analysis):
- **Team Spirit** (back-to-back TI champions) — the team to beat
- **Xtreme Gaming** (China) — strong on home soil
- **Gaimin Gladiators** (EU) — most consistent 2026 season
- **Tundra Esports** (EU) — qualified through regional finals
Full team list and group draw are in [our TI 2026 format explainer](/news/dota-2-ti-2026-format-explained).
What to expect from PGL's production
PGL has been the TI production partner since 2022, and they've set the bar for Dota broadcasts:
- **Multi-cam**: 12+ camera angles per match, including a player-cam rig that captures team comms reactions.
- **Real-time stats**: gold/XP lead, net worth, last hits/denies, ward placement, all on overlay.
- **Instant replay**: any team fight from any angle, available within 30 seconds.
- **Hero drafts**: the live draft UI is the cleanest in any esport, with banned/picked/contested hero breakdowns.
If you watch on Twitch with the official PGL overlay, you'll get the same production you'd see on the main stage in Shanghai.
Past VODs
PGL keeps the broadcast archive on YouTube. If you miss a match, the VOD is up within 2 hours of the broadcast ending:
- [TI 2026 Day 1 VODs](https://www.youtube.com/@pgl) (link to channel — individual VODs in the playlist)
- [TI 2025 full broadcast archive](https://www.youtube.com/@pgl/playlists)
- [TI 2024 full broadcast archive](https://www.youtube.com/@pgl/playlists)
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*The Aegis returns home in 10 days. See our [Dota 2 hub](/dota2) for the hero tier list, the match history, and the pro meta analysis.*