It's the final countdown: Players and talent have landed, and all of the pieces are falling into place to make Shanghai the center of the Dota universe for the next two weeks. It's time to finish crafting your fantasy rosters, lock in your first round of predictions, and get ready to tune in because The International 2026 is almost underway.
Whether you're looking to watch online, find Dota activities in Shanghai to keep you busy until streams start, or looking for merch you can wear while you're out in Shanghai waiting for games to start, we've got you covered below.
Sixteen teams have earned the right to compete for the Aegis of Champions in Shanghai, but only eight will face off in the main event. First, they must survive the gauntlet of the Swiss Format Group Stage.
Group Stage games begin on Thursday, August 13 and wrap on Sunday, August 16. In that span, all sixteen teams will play best-of-three matches against other teams with the same overall series record. A fourth series win will earn a team an automatic berth at The International; a fourth loss will result in elimination.
By end of play on Saturday, three teams will have secured spots in The International and three teams will have been eliminated. The ten remaining teams will face off in a special elimination round to decide the rest. Every single one of the five series on Sunday will send one team home and the other onward to the main event.
On Thursday, August 20, The International will move to SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center and open the doors to more than ten thousand fans. Four days of intense play through a double-elimination bracket will culminate in the Grand Finals on Sunday, August 23, and only then will the last team stand victorious and raise the Aegis of Champions.
Tickets for the event are sold out, but there are tons of ways to watch online — and even a handful of special in-person opportunities available around the city of Shanghai.
There's nothing quite like watching the best Dota players in the world face off in a live event, and while life and accompanying biological imperatives can make it difficult to try and watch every single game live, here are all the links you'd need to make a glorious attempt.
Chinese: Twitch: Stream A, Stream B, Stream C, Stream D; Steam: All Streams; YouTube: All Streams
English: Twitch: Stream A, Stream B, Stream C, Stream D; Steam: All Streams; YouTube: All Streams
Russian: Twitch: Stream A, Stream B, Stream C, Stream D; Steam: All Streams; YouTube: All Streams
Spanish: Twitch: Stream A, Stream B, Stream C, Stream D; Steam: All Streams; YouTube: All Streams; Facebook: All Streams
From August 13 to August 18, multiple Dota heroes will descend upon iconic landmarks across Shanghai, with a giant Aegis of Champions making its grand debut. Meanwhile, several commercial districts have set up check-in spots for fans to visit and collect souvenirs.
Check out the landmark details below or visit Perfect World's Shanghai Dota Tour site for a handy map.
Dota Hero Landmark Locations:
Wujiaochang Commercial District
Wujiaochang Guangchang: Aegis of Champions
Bailian ZX Fun Mall: Queen of Pain, Axe, and Pudge
Shanghai Wujiaochang Wanda Plaza: Juggernaut
Lujiazui Super Brand Mall (Aug 12-18): Windranger
Shanghai EXPO Culture Park (Aug 13-18): Mars and Shadow Fiend
Taikoo Li Qiantan (Aug 18–24): Aegis of Champions, Drow Ranger, Crystal Maiden, and Juggernaut
Standard Check-in Spots: Lujiazui 96 Plaza, New bund 31, Shanghai No. 1 Shopping Center, Expo Place
If you're looking to scope out this year's merchandise offerings, our partner stores are already online for both Chinese and international customers.
For China domestic fans: https://wmsjdj.tmall.com/
For fans everywhere else: https://pwrdesports.aliexpress.com/
The Secret Shop will also operate in SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center from August 20 - 23, opening each day at 9:00am and closing after the first break of the last match series of the day. Customers are welcome to purchase directly from onsite cashiers or use the Perfect World app to place an order for pick-up.
The strength of Dota has always been its vibrant and passionate community. The International is an expression of that, both the in-person event and the many millions who participate online, those watching and those streaming.
Speaking of which: As always, we welcome community streams of the event. There's more detail in the community stream FAQ, but to summarize: You have a lot of freedom in how to stream your TI commentary the way you and your viewers want as long as your stream is based on DotaTV and your own content, not on someone else's stream (including ours).
There's obviously a lot going on already, but there's even more info about The International to come. We'll be back soon to provide more details about on-site events, badges, Crimson Witness drops and more as we move closer to the show. Until then, make sure to get those predictions in. We'll see you when groups start.