The battle for the Aegis of Champions begins with the Group Stage of The International 2026, aka the crowning event of the Dota 2 esports season. It’s the fifteenth edition, often referred to as either TI 2026 or TI 15.
As the hype reaches a boiling point for the iconic tournament to begin, we’ve got our expert The International 2026 Group Stage betting predictions to share, accompanied by essential event details.
All outright winner odds and statistics are accurate as of August 10, 2026, and are subject to change.
The International 2026 Group Stage Schedule & Format
The International 2026 runs from Aug. 13 to 23, and features two distinct stages of competition.
Often branded as “The Road to The International,” the Group Stage (Aug. 13–16) kicks off proceedings. A 16-team Swiss system is employed. The top three advance directly to the Playoffs Stage; the 4th–13th duke it out in an elimination round for the final five playoff spots, and the rest are eliminated. All matches are best-of-three.
The fight for the Aegis of Champions starts when the final eight take to the stage at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. The format is a double-elimination bracket, with the Grand Final best-of-five and all other matches best-of-three.
For match dates and times in your region, visit our Dota 2 section.
Prize Pool Distribution
Teams are competing for their share of a massive prize pool. Valve foots the first $1.6 million, and 30% of the revenue generated from talent and team bundle sales will be added on top, growing until a champion is crowned. At the time of writing, the prize pool is $2,650,000.
How To Watch The International 2026 Group Stage
Watch every match of The International 2026, from the Group Stage to the Playoffs, right here at Thunderpick. Simply visit our dedicated Dota 2 section to get started.
Browse all the upcoming games to make pre-match wagers. Once a match begins, click on the camera icon. Our embedded live stream will appear, allowing registered users to throw themselves deep into the heart-pounding action by placing in-play wagers using their preferred crypto via the bet slip.
The official broadcast is also available on YouTube and Twitch. PC gamers can watch the games directly in the Dota 2 game client under Watch > Tournaments > Dota Pro Circuit.
Ft. Valve
Teams At The International 2026 Group Stage
There are 16 teams competing at The International 2026, with seven receiving direct invites from Valve, and nine earning spots via regional qualifiers. Check out the teams competing below.
Direct Invites
- Team Falcons
- Team Yandex
- Aurora Gaming
- Boomboys
- Iron Wing
- Team Liquid
- Xtreme Gaming
Regional Qualifiers
- Team Spirit (Europe)
- Team Vision (Europe)
- Nigma Galaxy (Europe)
- HULIGANI (Europe)
- GamerLegion (North America)
- LGD Gaming (South America)
- Team Resilience (China)
- Vici Gaming (China)
- OG (Southeast Asia)
Note: BetBoom Team is competing under the Boomboys name, PARIVISION under the Team Vision name, and 1win under the Iron Wing name. The change is to comply with rules prohibiting gambling-associated sponsor names.
In-Game TI 2026 Group Stage Predictions & Rewards
Everyone who owns a capable PC or laptop and has a free Steam / Dota 2 account can set their predictions in-game. Fans are tasked with predicting Group Stage outcomes, with six options for placing their picks.
Ft. Valve
For our in-game predictions, we chose Team Vision as the squad that will go 4–0, and selected both Team Falcons and Iron Wing as the two squads that will boast 4–1 records, cementing our top three picks for the Group Stage.
We predict that the following teams will win their respective elimination-round matches, thereby advancing to the Playoffs:
- Xtreme Gaming
- Team Yandex
- Boomboys
- Team Spirit
- Team Liquid
Teams that will, according to our expert’s predictions, lose their elimination matches are:
- GamerLegion
- Nigma Galaxy
- Aurora Gaming
- Vici Gaming
- LGD Gaming
Our picks to end with scores of 1–4 are OG and Team Resilience. Lastly, we chose HULIGANI (aka L1GA TEAM) to crash out 0–4.
There are several rewards for doing well in Fantasy and making accurate predictions, from Shards to months of the Dota Plus subscription service.
Making your own Dota 2 esports predictions in-game and participating in the Fantasy portion is an exhilarating experience, especially when some friends join in.
Ft. Valve
Everyone who is able to log into Dota 2 can also claim some nice free gifts just for participating, which include an Aegis Emoticon, several wallpapers, and Voice of The International Chat Wheel.
Our The International 2026 Group Stage Predictions
Our predictions for The International 2026 Group Stage are based on the results of recent top-tier tournaments, roster changes where applicable, and the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) leaderboard.
To further bolster the accuracy of our predictions, we analyzed the outright tournament winner odds for The International 2026. Odds indicate bookmaker confidence in an outcome occurring, with values derived from diligent research.
Important: When discussing outright winner odds, we mention both the American and Decimal formats. We also note the implied probabilities, which indicate a team’s chances of success based on the odds. This analysis should not be interpreted as betting advice. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. Gamble responsibly.
Team Vision (#1)
PARIVISION is known as Team Vision during The International 2026 to comply with rules prohibiting gambling-associated sponsor names. Team Vision holds the #2 spot on the EPT Leaderboard (14,510 points).
Since replacing Valery “SSS” Lazarev on the active lineup, Noticed has flourished in the offlane for Team Vision. The organization officially signed the impressive offlaner on June 20, 2026, following a 3–2 win over Aurora Gaming at DreamLeague Season 29.
While the squad couldn’t attend the Playoffs Stage of BLAST Slam VII due to “complications in travel permissions,” they went on to win the most recent top-tier tournament: Dota 2 at the EWC 2026.
Team Vision barreled through the Group Stage with a 9–1 record, above the likes of Team Spirit and Vici Gaming. In front of a passionate crowd in Paris, Team Vision eliminated Rune Eaters 2–0, Team Yandex 2–1, and bested BetBoom Team with a convincing 3–1 score to claim the trophy.
With momentum on their side and new addition Noticed named the MVP of EWC 2026, Team Vision is our top pick.
Outright tournament winner odds of 4.00 (+300) indicate that Team Vision is the slight favorite, with a 25% chance to claim the Aegis of Champions. There’s a 50% probability of Team Vision making an appearance in the Grand Final, as implied by odds of 2.00 (+100).
Team Vision roster:
- Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov (On Loan)
- Volodymyr “No[o]ne” Minenko
- Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko
- Edgar “9Class” Naltakyan
- Andrei “Dukalis” Kuropatkin (Captain)
- Clement “Puppey” Ivanov (Coach)
Team Falcons (#2)
Veteran support player and two-time TI champion Sneyking captains the ship, and three-time TI-winning coach Aui_2000 masterminds Team Falcons’ tactics. With incredible tactical depth and insane firepower thanks to the MVP of The International 2025, Malr1ne, the sky’s the limit for the superteam.
You can never count out the defending champions, or dismiss a back-to-back TI championship run. Despite doing relatively well throughout the season, Team Falcons have failed to lift a top-tier trophy since early November 2025.
Team Falcons is currently ranked #7 on the EPT Leaderboard with 8,125 points. The squad inspired confidence by showcasing a recent uptick in form at 1win Essence II, where they finished in 2nd place after topping Group B and defeating BetBoom Team and Team Liquid on their way to the Grand Final.
There’s an 11.11% chance that Team Falcons will become become champions again, as implied by odds of 9.00 (+800). Odds of 5.00 (+400) indicate a 20% chance we’ll see Sneyking and company in the Grand Final.
Team Falcons roster:
- Oliver “skiter” Lepko
- Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak
- Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf
- Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
- Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu (Captain)
- Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (Coach)
Iron Wing (#3)
You might be wondering why we have a squad called “Iron Wing” in a podium position for our predictions. Well, Iron Wing isn’t some unknown team. No, it’s the highly successful Tundra Esports roster, which won multiple top-tier LAN events this season.
On June 1, 2026, the Tundra Esports organization officially departed the Dota 2 esports scene, transferring the entire roster to 1w Team. To comply with rules prohibiting gambling-associated sponsor names at The International 2026, 1w Team plays under the moniker of Iron Wing.
The squad tops the EPT Leaderboard with a whopping 16,710 points, and has added both DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham 2026 trophies to their record this year. At EWC 2026, however, the squad lost to a devastating reverse-sweep comeback from Vici Gaming, falling just short of the Playoffs Stage.
If they can shake off their recent loss and play to their full potential, we predict Iron Wing can earn a podium finish. Consider Iron Wing making a deep run at The International 2026 our bold prediction.
Outright tournament winner odds of 13.00 (+1200) put Iron Wing in the middle of the pack to lift the Aegis of Champions at a 7.69% chance. There’s a probability of 15.38% that captain 33 will lead his team all the way to the Grand Final, as implied by odds of 6.50 (+550).
Iron Wing roster:
- Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko
- Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov
- Neta “33” Shapira (Captain)
- Matthew “Ari” Walker
- Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon
- David “MoonMeander” Tan (Coach)
Who Will Survive The Group Stage Of TI 2026?
Will favorites such as Team Falcons, Iron Wing, and Team Vision live up to expectations? Could underdogs such as HULIGANI and OG cause some serious upsets? We’ll find out soon enough!
Join us in the excitement by visiting our Dota 2 betting section, where you can watch all the matches of The International 2026 live while placing wagers using your favorite cryptocurrencies.
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.