Defending champions are not the favorites: the main contenders for The International 2026 title revealed

The International 2026, one of the biggest tournaments of the year, is just around the corner. Winning the event secures a team's place in Dota 2 history forever.

According to bookmakers, PARIVISION are the main favorites after recently claiming the Esports World Cup 2026 title. The team has also won several championships this season and consistently reached the later stages of major tournaments.

Team Yandex are considered the second strongest contender after enjoying the most successful season in the organization's history, winning BLAST SLAM VII, PGL Wallachia Season 7 and DreamLeague Season 27, while also finishing in the top three at EWC 2026. Completing the list of main favorites is BetBoom Team, which has found excellent form in recent months and, alongside Yandex, is regarded as the strongest team in the CIS region.

Team Spirit and the defending champions, Team Falcons, have been given equal chances of lifting the Aegis. Both teams have posted average results over the past six months, but they have often delivered their best performances at The International.

Aurora Gaming and 1Win Team received odds of 10.00 or higher. The latter qualified for the tournament after acquiring the Tundra Esports roster. At the bottom of the bookmakers' rankings are GamerLegion and L1GA Team, who are expected to be eliminated during the group stage.

It is also worth noting that LGD Gaming, Vici Gaming, Team Liquid, Nigma Galaxy,and several other teams will compete in the online tournament 1Win Essence II, which is expected to serve as preparation for TI15, allowing teams to test strategies and refine their gameplay. You can follow the tournament in our live report.

Below are the bookmakers' odds and the implied probability of victory for every team.

1. PARIVISION — 4.40 (22.73%)
2. Team Yandex — 5.30 (18.87%)
3. BetBoom Team — 7.50 (13.33%)
4. Team Spirit — 8.50 (11.76%)
5. Team Falcons — 8.50 (11.76%)
6. Aurora Gaming — 10.00 (10.00%)
7. 1WIN Team — 14.00 (7.14%)
8. Team Liquid — 17.00 (5.88%)
9. Nigma Galaxy — 17.00 (5.88%)
10. LGD Gaming — 17.00 (5.88%)
11. Xtreme Gaming — 17.00 (5.88%)
12. Vici Gaming — 25.00 (4.00%)
13. Team Resilience — 30.00 (3.33%)
14. OG — 50.00 (2.00%)
15. GamerLegion — 60.00 (1.67%)
16. L1GA TEAM — 100.00 (1.00%)

The International 2026 will take place from 13.08.2026 to 23.08.2026 at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. Sixteen teams will compete for the title of the best team of the year. The tournament's starting prize pool will be $1,600,000 and will increase based on Compendium sales.

Earlier, Cyberscore reported that Valve had unveiled the format and rules for the year's biggest tournament.