Valve has confirmed that The International 2026, the premier annual Dota 2 championship, will take place in Shanghai from August 13 to 23, 2026.
Valve confirms seven direct invites and regional qualifiers for the premier annual championship in Shanghai.
The tournament features a mix of direct invites and regional qualifiers to determine the final lineup of competing teams.
Seven teams receive direct invitations based on their performance in previous seasons, while nine additional spots are filled through regional qualification events.
Qualifiers run from June 15 to 28, 2026, with slot allocations distributed across five regions: Europe receives four slots, China gets two, and South America, Southeast Asia, and North America each receive one.
Notable teams such as PARIVISION and Team Spirit are excluded from the direct invite list despite recent tournament successes, requiring them to navigate the qualifier stage.
PARIVISION recently claimed victory at DreamLeague Season 29 and thanked fans for their support ahead of BLAST Slam VII.
Source: Insider Gaming
