The International 2026 Playoffs: Predicting the Road to the Aegis

Eight teams made it through the gauntlet of Swiss groups and the elimination round to reach Shanghai's playoff stage, and the field is stacked. Team Vision, Team Spirit, Team Yandex, and Team Falcons all carry momentum from strong group stage runs, while Iron Wing, BoomBoys, Team Liquid, and Nigma Galaxy enter as teams with something to prove.

Before diving into the bracket, get your picks locked in on GoCore's Pick'ems platform, where every correct call on this bracket adds to your leaderboard total.

Upper Bracket Round 1: Favorites Should Hold

Team Spirit's playstyle has translated well across LAN events this year, and that edge should carry them past Iron Wing, a team still finding its footing at this level of competition.

Team Vision, playing under that name due to Valve's branding restrictions on their actual PARIVISION organization, enters as one of the tournament's strongest overall units and should have enough firepower to move past BoomBoys.

Team Yandex profiles as the more battle tested side against Team Liquid, whose late season form has been inconsistent outside of a strong showing at 1win Essence II.

Team Falcons, the defending TI champions, look like clear favorites over Nigma Galaxy in the round's most lopsided matchup on paper.

Upper Bracket Round 2: Vision's Ceiling Shows

This is where Team Vision's ceiling should start to separate them from the pack. Against Team Spirit, expect Vision's draft flexibility and coordinated team fighting to be the deciding factor in a closely fought series.

Team Falcons should have enough championship pedigree to get past Team Yandex, setting up an Upper Bracket Final between two of the tournament's most credentialed rosters.

Lower Bracket: Team Spirit's Resilience Run

The lower bracket path is where Team Spirit can make their tournament. After dropping to the lower bracket in Round 2, expect BoomBoys to have already worked past Iron Wing in Round 1 and Nigma Galaxy to have eliminated Team Liquid, setting up BoomBoys against Team Yandex and Team Spirit against Nigma Galaxy in Round 2.

Spirit's playoff experience should be enough to get past Nigma Galaxy, while BoomBoys' Round 1 momentum should carry them past a Team Yandex side dealing with the sting of an early upper bracket exit.

From there, Team Spirit's run should continue past BoomBoys in Round 3. The real test comes in the Lower Bracket Final, where Spirit would meet whichever of Falcons or Vision falls from the upper bracket.

Betting on Spirit's tournament experience and lower bracket momentum to be enough to eliminate Team Falcons sets up a grand final rematch of Upper Bracket Round 2.

Grand Final: Vision's Draft Depth Wins Out

If the bracket plays out this way, the Upper Bracket Final should see Team Vision get past Team Falcons on the strength of their draft versatility, sending Vision into the Grand Final with a bracket reset advantage against Team Spirit.

Vision's ability to adapt across multiple playstyles should be the difference in a series that could otherwise go either way, giving them their first Aegis of Champions.

Whether Spirit's lower bracket gauntlet run proves too much momentum to overcome is the biggest question mark hanging over this bracket, and it is exactly the kind of upset potential that makes bracket picks worth the risk on GoCore's leaderboard.

TL;DR

• Eight teams remain in the TI 2026 single elimination playoffs
• Team Vision projected to win Upper Bracket Round 2 over Team Spirit, sending Spirit to the lower bracket
• Team Spirit predicted to survive a full lower bracket run, eliminating Nigma Galaxy, BoomBoys, and Team Falcons
• Grand Final rematch predicted between Team Vision and Team Spirit, with Vision favored to win their first Aegis
• Lock in bracket picks on GoCore's Pick'ems platform before the playoffs begin