ChaiViz
17.08.2026
The Swiss group stage of The International 2026 wrapped up in Shanghai with three teams locking in direct playoff berths and a chaotic elimination round deciding the rest of the field, including a result nobody in the host country wanted to see.
Team Vision produced the only flawless record of the group stage, finishing 4-0 to punch their ticket straight to the playoffs without dropping a single series. Team Liquid finished right behind them at 4-1, with their only blemish coming against Team Spirit. Nigma Galaxy rounded out the top three at 4-1 as well, having dropped a game to Iron Wing along the way.
Lock in your playoff picks now through GoCore's Pick'ems section while the top three storyline is fresh, since these three rosters carry real momentum into the next stage.
Huligani finished the group stage winless at 0-4. OG avoided the same fate by the smallest possible margin, picking up their only win of the stage against Huligani to finish 1-4. Xtreme Gaming also finished 1-4, a result that ends captain Ame's bid to reclaim the Aegis after Xtreme's Grand Final loss at TI 2025.
With the top three locked in, the teams that finished 3-2 in the group faced off against the 2-3 finishers for the five remaining playoff spots.
Team Falcons defeated Vici Gaming 2-0 to advance. BoomBoys eliminated Aurora Gaming with a 2-0 sweep of their own. Team Spirit survived a tighter series against Team Resilience, winning 2-1. Iron Wing swept GamerLegion 2-0 to claim their spot. Team Yandex closed out the round with a 2-1 win over LGD Gaming.
That final result carries extra weight given the tournament's Shanghai setting. With LGD Gaming's exit, every Chinese organization has now been eliminated from TI 2026, leaving the region without a representative in the playoffs at its own home event.
Eight teams now move forward:
Team Vision enters as the form team of the group stage, but Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy both showed they can compete with anyone left in the field.
ChaiViz
17.08.2026
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