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The International 2026
Location:
Organizer:
Valve, PGL
Type:
Online, Offline (LAN)
Series:
The International
Tournament dates:
13.08.26 - 23.08.26
Prize fund:
$1 600 000
Statistics
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Tournament participants
Show rosters
About the tournament
Tournament schedule is being updated, information may change!
The International 2026 is the fifteenth annual championship of The International series and will be held in Shanghai, China.
Participants:
- Sixteen teams:
- 7 invited teams;
- 9 teams from the closed qualifiers;
Group stage - 13.08.2026 - 16.08.2026:
- Modified Swiss system for 16 teams:
- All matches are Bo3;
- Top three teams advance to playoffs;
- 4th to 13th place teams proceed to a special elimination round;
- Remaining teams are eliminated.
- Special Elimination Round:
- Five teams advance to playoffs;
- Remaining teams are eliminated.
When teams are tied, the following rules apply:
- Percentage of Games Won;
- Total Number of Matches Won by Opponents Played;
- Average Percentage of Games Won by Opponents Played;
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Average Game Duration (Shorter is Better);
- Coin Toss.
Rules for forming pairs:
Swiss stage
- Pairs are made up of teams with equal results.
- As far as possible, repeat matches should be avoided.
- As far as possible, the distance between teams in the standings should be minimized.
- Exceptions to the standard Swiss system rules:
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1st round:
- Teams are divided into two groups;
- Pairs are assigned by the tournament organizer; teams in the same group play each other.
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2st round:
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Pairs are created only within the initial group.
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3st round:
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Pairs are created only within the initial group.
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4st round:
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Pairs are created only outside the initial group.
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5st round:
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There are no changes to the standard Swiss system rules.
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Elimination Round
- Starting with the best 3-2 team, they will choose any of the five 2-3 teams as their opponent;
- The next best 3-2 team will then choose any of the remaining 2-3 teams as their opponent;
- Repeat the above until all teams have chosen an opponent.
Playoffs - 11.09.2025 - 14.09.2025:
- Double-elimination bracket;
- All matches except the Grand Final are Bo3;
- Grand Final - Bo5.
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