The International 2026 reaches game 5 for the fifth time in tournament history

Dota 2’s biggest stage just delivered its most dramatic moment yet. The International 2026 grand final between TEAM VISION and Team Spirit is heading to a decisive game 5, with both teams locked at 2-2 in the best-of-5 series at Shanghai’s SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center.

TEAM VISION entered the grand final as the tournament’s top seed, rolling through the group stage with a pristine 4-0 record. Team Spirit took the scenic route. After dropping into the lower bracket during the double-elimination playoffs, they clawed their way back through a gauntlet of elimination matches to reach the final.

A $3.35 million prize pool and 16 teams

TI 2026 brought together 16 of the world’s best Dota 2 rosters, competing across 11 days from August 13 to August 23. The tournament’s prize pool sits at approximately $3.35 million, built from a $1.6 million base contribution from Valve plus additional community funding.

The tournament structure began with a Swiss system group stage, a format that pairs teams against opponents with similar records. From there, the double-elimination playoff format filtered 16 teams down to the final two. Every playoff match was a best-of-3, with the grand final being the sole best-of-5 series.

The grand final is being held at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, organized by Valve with production often handled by PGL.