The International 2026: Regional Qualifier Results

After a long wait for the Open and Closed Regional Qualifiers to conclude, we finally know the nine teams that will join Valve’s direct invites at The International 2026.

The regional qualifiers delivered both expected results and incredible surprises along the way, especially in Europe, where the new L1GA TEAM managed to carve a path from the Open Qualifiers all the way to The International.

Chinese Regional Qualifiers

The first region to complete its Closed Regional Qualifiers was China. Team Resilience secured their slot after defeating Yakult Brothers 2–0 in the Upper Bracket Final.

Shortly after, Yakult Brothers saw their dream of reaching TI slip through their fingers after losing a dramatic third map to Vici Gaming that lasted more than 92 minutes and featured a massive gold swing between both teams.

South American Regional Qualifiers

Despite an abundance of eligible contestants, South America ultimately saw its favorites face off in a best-of-five Grand Final.

Team Nemesis fell in the Lower Bracket Semifinal, Amaru Gaming was eliminated in the Lower Bracket Final, and PlayTime advanced to face LGD Gaming.

LGD once again proved that their resurgence was no accident and secured a dominant 3-0 victory, adding another Chinese organization to The International’s lineup through a South American roster.

Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers

As expected, the Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers gave Nikko "Nikko" Bilocura a chance to face his former teammates on OG. Grind Back fought through the Lower Bracket and reached the Grand Final.

Despite the 3–1 final score, OG had to work hard for the win, with every map against Grind Back lasting over 45 minutes before coming to an end.

This result not only marks OG’s victory but also celebrates their return to The International after being absent for the last four years.

North American Regional Qualifiers

North America was the most predictable region, with GamerLegion dominating the Regional Qualifiers from start to finish without dropping a single map to their opponents.

Their 3–0 victory over 4 Anchors and Ilmeria punched their ticket to Shanghai and confirmed their place at The International 2026 as North America’s representative in the fight for the Aegis of Champions.

European Regional Qualifiers

Finally, we arrive at the unified European Regional Qualifiers.

Team Spirit opened the event by showing they still have the hunger of a two-time champion, defeating Nigma Galaxy 2-1 in the first Upper Bracket Final.

The second slot went to PARIVISION, competing under the name TEAM VISION, after defeating Virtus.pro by another 2–1 scoreline.

Valve’s stance regarding betting sponsors remains a topic of debate, and this roster name change once again brought attention to that discussion.

Next came the biggest surprise of all Regional Qualifiers.

L1GA TEAM, competing as HULIGANI, defeated Virtus.pro and secured a slot at The International 2026 with yet another 2-1 victory, marking the third consecutive 2-1 result in the European qualifiers.

The final spot became a battle between two dark horses, with Nigma Galaxy facing Yellow Submarine for one last opportunity to reach The International 2026.

One final 2-1 result crowned Nigma Galaxy as the last team to qualify for TI this year.

Closing Thoughts

This year’s TI Qualifiers delivered both surprises and predictable outcomes, but with the qualifiers now concluded, attention turns toward the beginning of the Esports Nations Cup Qualifiers and the Esports World Cup 2026.

We already have a preview of the ENC Qualifiers available, and soon we will also bring you our preview of EWC 2026, so keep an eye on the news section of the Strafe website!

READ MORE: Esports Nations Cup 2026 Qualifiers Preview

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@wykrhm)