The International 2026: Swiss Stage Results and Elimination Round Schedule

The Swiss Stage is over, and now the Elimination Round stands as the last frontier between elimination and the Playoffs of The International 2026.

Let's check which teams will skip the Elimination Round, which ones will be fighting for survival tomorrow, and who was eliminated in the first half of the Group Stage.

Swiss Stage Concludes with Three Eliminations

The Swiss Stage was the first half of the Group Stage, and we have both good and bad news. Starting with the bad news, HULIGANI were the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.

OG became the first organization to see its hopes of a third TI title come to an end after losing four out of five rounds. Finally, unlike in 2025, Xtreme Gaming was the last team eliminated, reducing the number of Chinese representatives to two.

On the other side of the leaderboard, TEAM VISION made a perfect run, defeating four teams in a row, including the reigning TI champions, Team Falcons.

Nigma Galaxy also secured a Playoff seed after an unbelievable resurgence, winning four consecutive series from the second round onward. Finally, Team Liquid claimed the last direct Playoff seed after finishing the Swiss Stage with a 4-1 record.

The remaining teams advance to the Elimination Round, where 10 contestants will battle for the final 5 Playoff spots, cutting the field in half.

Elimination Round Schedule

The Elimination Round begins soon, and the remaining ten teams will have just one chance to survive in a best-of-three series. Teams that finished the Swiss Stage with a 3-2 record will face teams that finished 2-3. Here is the Elimination Round schedule:

Interesting Matchups

As expected, the stakes are much higher with direct elimination on the line, and we should see some exciting series. Here are the reasons behind my picks.

Team Falcons vs. Vici Gaming

Team Falcons failed to secure a direct Playoff seed, and their campaign as the defending Aegis champions and contenders to become only the second team to win back-to-back TI titles is now at risk.

At the same time, Vici Gaming has its back against the wall, facing an opponent that is on an entirely different level from the only two teams they managed to defeat during the Swiss Stage.

Team Spirit vs. Team Resilience

Team Spirit still looks very strong despite their detour through the Elimination Round. Their only losses came against teams that secured direct Playoff seeds, and Spirit also managed to defeat the third one, Team Liquid. Spirit definitely enters this series as the favorite.

On the other side of the arena, Team Resilience could be China's last hope of reaching the Playoffs by the time this series begins. They did beat OG and Xtreme Gaming, but considering both teams were eliminated, Team Spirit may simply be too much to handle, potentially leaving China without a single representative in the Playoffs.

LGD Gaming vs. Team Yandex

LGD Gaming was the terror of the Chinese teams during the Swiss Stage, but now Team Yandex stands in their way. Looking strictly at their TI performances so far, LGD appears to have the upper hand, but they should not underestimate their opponents.

Personally, we expected Team Yandex to secure a direct Playoff seed, but they ended up in the bottom half of the Swiss Stage and failed to win a single series against stronger opponents.

They enter this match looking for redemption, but LGD (with Topson up their sleeve) could bring Team Yandex's TI 2026 run to an end.

Closing Thoughts

Once the Elimination Round is over, we'll have only a limited amount of time to make our Playoff predictions, so remember to check your Compendium tomorrow.

If things go as expected, China will most likely be eliminated, while LGD Gaming could keep Topson's dream of becoming the sole three-time TI champion alive a little longer.

Of course, unexpected things always happen at The International, so remember to keep an eye on Strafe's news section for the latest updates from the tournament!

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@wykrhm)

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