Team Spirit Make It To The International 2026 Finals!

Team Spirit has made it to the finals of The International 2026 after a decisive 2-0 victory over Team Yandex. After losing to Parivison, Spirit has travelled a long path in the lower bracket and will now face them again in the battle for the Aegis.

Let's take a look at how Spirit took down Yandex, as well as the last words from our eliminated team.

Lack of stuns gives Spirit a free win in game two

The draft in game 2 forced Yandex to play perfect. With a lack of stuns on the draft, the laning stage had to go well. The first 15 minutes went evenly between the two lineups, but once the big teamfights began, Spirit's superior teamfight capabilities carried them to an easy 34-minute win.

It's hard to pick who was the star of Game 2. It's a tossup between Denis "Larl" Sigitov's Pangolier and Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk on Shadow Fiend. They both had only two deaths to their names and double-digit kills. Overall, Larl's ability to make space was probably a bigger factor to Spirit's quick win than Yatoro.

Saksa: "I'm not too unhappy with the season"

With the game over, it was time for exit interviews, and Martin "Saksa" Sazdov had a few quick answers for the audience. When asked how he felt about the year overall, Saksa said he was pleased with the team's performance. They won three major events, along with several podium finishes at the biggest tournaments of the year.

"I think this season has been good for us. We've had a lot of good results. It's a very young team, and for a lot of them it was the first time winning. With the results we are happy, obviously a bit sad now. But the top three of TI is not a bad result by any means. I'm not too unhappy with the season."

Yandex looked strong in the playoffs, but they were shaky at the group stage. Saksa revealed that he boosted his team's morale by reminding them that everyone is nervous and makes mistakes at TI.

"Something I always say to my teams at TI is you can always expect other teams to play badly. This is the tournament of the season where many people play much worse. That also brings me comfort – to know other players are playing worse. As long as we focus on our game, we play our Dota, and we will be fine."

Saksa will need a few more Internationals to earn his third Aegis, but Team Spirit is on the cusp of claiming it for themselves for the third time. Parivision in the Grand Finals is all that stands between them.

READ MORE: Cr1t-: "For Me This Is Probably The Last TI."

Featured Image Source:  Valve