Who makes up the TI 2026 teams heading to Shanghai so far

The TI 2026 teams field is sixteen sides: seven direct invites announced in late May plus nine qualifier seats still filling, and this page tracks who is locked for Shanghai along with the roster shuffle that always follows the event.

Working out the field is part invite list, part qualifier results, and part rumour control. The invited sides are known, the qualified ones arrive as regional brackets close, and the roster picture stays slightly fluid right up to the first match. We keep this page honest by naming only what is confirmed and flagging what is still in flux, because nothing annoys a fan more than a list that turns out to be wrong.

The full list of The International 2026 teams splits neatly into two groups: the invited sides and the qualified ones. We deal with the invites first, since they are already locked, then track the qualifier seats as each region finishes. Each TI 2026 roster below is taken from public announcements, and where a lineup is disputed across trackers we say so plainly rather than commit to a name that might be wrong by the time you read it.

The invited TI 2026 teams

Seven of the TI 2026 teams reached Shanghai through direct invites, announced around the end of May, and they skip the regional grind entirely. These TI 2026 direct invites went six to European organisations and one to a Chinese side, reflecting where Valve judged the strongest form to be. An invite is a vote of confidence, not a guarantee; these sides still have to perform once the group stage starts, and a shaky group run can undo all that goodwill.

One roster note is worth a hedge: at least one invited lineup has been listed under a rebranded team name across different trackers, so if you spot a label that looks unfamiliar it may be the same players under new colours. We flag that rather than state it firmly. The full date plan for when these sides first play sits on the schedule page.

Qualified sides and the post-TI shuffle

The qualified Dota 2 TI teams fill the remaining nine seats as the regional brackets close, and a couple are already known: LGD Gaming took South America's slot and Vici Gaming claimed one of China's two. The rest were still being decided in late June, so we add names only once they are real. You can follow the live regional state on the qualifier tracker rather than waiting on this list alone.

Looking past Shanghai, the post-TI shuffle is the off-season churn that reshapes the scene every year. Contracts expire, stars move, and organisations rebuild, so the post-TI 2026 shuffle will scramble many of these rosters within weeks of the final. If you track player movement, that window is half the fun. For where each side ends up in the draw, watch the standings page once the bracket forms.

• Seven direct invites, six European and one Chinese.
• Nine qualifier seats filling as regional brackets close.
• LGD Gaming and Vici Gaming among the early qualified names.
• Rosters can shift right up to the first match.

For neutral background on roster rules and competitive integrity in esports, the Esports Integrity Commission is a sound reference at esic.gg. We point to bodies like that and name the official tournament page in prose without making it clickable, so every name above stays checkable. The home overview has the condensed field summary.