Part 1 of this series mapped the landscape of Dota 2's evolution since 2016: the patches, the heroes, the cosmetics, and the tournament stages that have hosted the game's biggest annual event. It ended on a single detail worth holding onto. The International 2026 is going to Shanghai.

To understand why that matters, you need to understand what China built in the early years of this game, and what has slipped through its fingers ever since.

##The Dynasty That Defined an Era

Dota 2's first decade of international competition featured three Chinese champions, and the way each of them won tells you something about the strength of the region at its peak.

###Invictus Gaming, 2012

The International 2012 was only the second edition of the tournament, held in Seattle at Benaroya Hall. Invictus Gaming entered with a roster of Zhou, Ferrari_430, YYF, ChuaN, and Faith, and they did not take a straight path to the title.

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They opened by beating Evil Geniuses 2-1 in the Upper Bracket, before being knocked down by Natus Vincere 2-1. From the Lower Bracket, they defeated EHOME, then Team DK 2-1, then LGD Gaming 2-1 in the Lower Bracket Final to force their way back into contention. Waiting for them in the Grand Final was the same Natus Vincere side that had sent them to the Lower Bracket in the first place. This time, Invictus Gaming won 3-1 and claimed the first Aegis of Champions to go to China.

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Newbee, 2014

Two years later, at The International 2014 in Seattle's KeyArena, Newbee arrived with Hao, Mu, xiao8, Banana, and SanSheng, captained by Mikasa. Their run through the tournament was one of the most commanding in the event's history.

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They opened against Vici Gaming and won 2-1, then dismantled Evil Geniuses 2-0 in the Upper Bracket Final. Their Grand Final opponent was Vici Gaming again, who had clawed through an eight-game Lower Bracket gauntlet to get there. The effort it took Vici Gaming to reach the final was extraordinary. It was not enough. Newbee won 3-1 and China had its second Aegis.

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Wings Gaming, 2016

The International 2016 introduced a rivalry that ran through the entire bracket. Wings Gaming opened against Digital Chaos and beat them 2-1, sending them to the Lower Bracket. Wings then went on to beat MVP Phoenix 2-0 and Evil Geniuses 2-0, securing their Grand Final spot through the Upper Bracket.

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Digital Chaos, meanwhile, ran the gauntlet. They beat LGD Gaming 2-0, TNC Pro Team 2-1, EHOME 2-0, and Fnatic 2-0, then outlasted Evil Geniuses 2-1 in the Lower Bracket Final to reach the Grand Final. Wings Gaming met them there and closed it out 3-1.

The Wings Gaming roster of shadow, bLink, Faith_bian, y`, and iceice had done it. China's third International title. Three wins across five tournaments. The region had established itself as the bedrock of competitive Dota 2.

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What followed was a decade-long silence.

The Years the Trophy Stayed Away

Since Wings Gaming's victory in 2016, Chinese teams have come close multiple times. Newbee reached the Grand Final in 2017 and fell short. PSG.LGD made it to the Grand Final twice, in 2018 and again in 2021, and came away empty-handed both times.

Then there was TI 2025. Xtreme Gaming made it to the Grand Final and pushed the series to a fifth and deciding game, only to suffer a devastating loss at the final step. A decade after Wings Gaming lifted the Aegis, the trophy remained out of China's reach. Four Grand Final appearances across nine years, and nothing to show for it.

The pattern that emerges is not one of weakness. Chinese Dota 2 has clearly retained the ability to reach the highest level of competition. The gap between reaching the Grand Final and winning it is narrow in theory and enormous in practice, and China has felt that distance more acutely than any other region over this particular stretch of the game's history.

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The Stage Is Being Built in Shanghai

In 2026, The International will be held in Shanghai, China. The Aegis will be presented on a stage in the same country where so many of the players who have chased it for years call home.

Three titles in five years. Then nothing for a decade, and four heartbreaking Grand Final exits to show for the effort. The weight of that history will sit on every match, every draft, every teamfight when the tournament begins.

The trophy will be only a few steps away from Dota 2 veterans who have chased it for the better part of their professional gaming careers. Someone will lift the Aegis from its humble pillar on the stage. But will it be Ame, or a new hopeful carrying the hopes of a nation forward? Is this the year of reversed fortunes? Is this the year the Aegis finally comes to China and stays there?

TL;DR

• China has won The International three times: Invictus Gaming in 2012, Newbee in 2014, and Wings Gaming in 2016
• All three titles came within a five-year window, establishing China as the defining force of early competitive Dota 2
• Since 2016, Chinese teams have reached the Grand Final four times (Newbee 2017, PSG.LGD 2018 and 2021, Xtreme Gaming 2025) without winning
• Xtreme Gaming's loss in Game 5 of TI 2025 is the most recent and perhaps most painful near-miss in the region's history
• The International 2026 returns to Shanghai, China, setting up one of the most narratively loaded tournaments the game has ever staged