The International 2026: Southeast Asia Regional Qualifier Schedule

The International 2026: Southeast Asia Regional Qualifier Schedule

18 Jun, 2026, 13:13

|

Last updated: 18 Jun, 2026, 13:13

Let's take a look at the Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers for Dota 2's The International 2026 and check everything you need to know about the invited teams, format, possible rivalries, and much more.

The TI 2026 Regional Qualifiers for SEA will start on June 19 to decide which team will represent the region at the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament of all and get a shot at lifting the Aegis of Champions.

The Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers to The International 2026 are about to begin.

Invited Teams

There will be 10 invited teams fighting for a single slot at the main event. Among them, OG and REKONIX stand out as the teams we have seen the most in Tier 1 and Tier 2 events throughout the year.

Here is the list of invites for the Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers:

TI 2026 Regional SEA Qualifiers: Format

The Regional SEA Qualifiers will feature a single double-elimination bracket with best-of-three matches and a best-of-five Grand Final, as usual.

10 teams will fight for the one and only slot in the SEA Regional TI 2026 Qualifiers.

Teams were seeded according to their performance, which gives an edge to OG and REKONIX, as they will face the winners of the first round in the Upper Bracket instead of being matched from the start.

OG and Nikko: SEA Drama?

There might be a particularly intense matchup if Grind Back faces OG, considering rumors that Nikko "Nikko" Bilocura did not depart the roster on the best of terms when he was replaced by Alexander "TORONTOTOKYO" Khertek.

If both teams manage to win their matchups, they will only face each other in the Upper Bracket Final. If either of them falls to the Lower Bracket, they might not meet until the Grand Final.

REKONIX is grouped with OG in terms of expectations, but Nikko's "revenge arc" could possibly become a secondary narrative that shakes things up in the Southeast Asian Qualifier.

TI 2026 Regional SEA Qualifiers: Schedule

Despite the online format of the Regional Qualifiers, they are still happening in Southeast Asian time zones and may be a bit too early for some fans.

Let's take a look at the schedule for the matchups already set for the TI 2026 SEA Regionals:

DateTimeTeam 1vs.Team 2
June 19 02:00 GMTGrind Backvs.Mentality Monsters
June 19 05:00 GMTYangon Galacticosvs.InterActive Philippines
June 19 08:00 GMTExecrationvs.Carstensz Esports
June 19 08:00 GMTREKONIXvs.Grind/Mentality
June 19 11:00 GMTGLYPHvs.Direborn
June 19 11:00 GMTOGvs.Yangon/InterActive

As we can see above, REKONIX and OG have the advantage of facing supposedly weaker teams that were seeded one step behind in the bracket, but with the downside of only finding out their opponents after the first round is over.

Closing Thoughts

We have a couple of favorites going into the Southeast Asian Regional Qualifiers for The International 2026, but some stacks might surprise everyone along the way and unexpectedly snatch the slot, similar to what Team Nemesis did in 2025.

The Regional Qualifiers will be broadcasted in English through PGL's official channels on Twitch, YouTube and Kick.

If you want to stay tuned and get more news on professional Dota 2 and The International 2026 Regional Qualifiers, remember to check the news section on the Strafe website!

READ MORE: The Biggest Losers Of Dota 2 Patch 7.41d

Featured Image Source: OG and REKONIX

Latest news

The International 2026: Predictions and Rewards

The International 2026: Predictions and Rewards

The International 2026 is just a couple of weeks away and, along with Patch 7.41e, Valve also released the tournament's menu, where you can make your predictions for the Group Stage and check this year's rewards.
2 Aug
Eric Oliveira

Summer Scrub: Dota Plus and Quality of Life Updates

On top of getting the balancing just right for The International 2026, the Summer scrub also made a couple small big important updates. Dota Plus subscribers got a new post-game breakdown screen and all players can now bind non-hero unit hotkeys separately.
1 Aug
Eric Oliveira

Dota 2 Patch 7.41e Destroys Zeus

Dota 2 patch 7.41e is here and it will likely be the patch The International is played in. While not adding any new items, heroes, or mechanics, the latest update does go a long way to solving some of the biggest problems in the game.
31 Jul
Otomo

Valve Squashes Dota 2 MMR!

In the latest Summer Scrub update, Valve has done a long awaited change. The recent update squashed MMR for Immortal ranked players.
31 Jul
Otomo

Valve Releases New Meepo Hotfix For Item Duplication Bug

The “Dota 2 beta” meme lives on and another chapter of the game's history is written after Valve fixes yet anoter Meepo bug. Some heroes are a constant source of bugs and among the full lineup, Morphling, Rubick and Meepo are the most affected by these problems.
31 Jul
Eric Oliveira

Games of the Future 2026: Format, Schedule, Fixtures and More

Games of the Future 2026 is the last million dollar tournament on this season for the professional Dota Circuit before The International 2026 ends a cycle and begins the next season. Most big teams will not show up to the event but we have some interesting candidates such as the two biggest Chinese teams.
30 Jul
Eric Oliveira

1win Essence II: Format, Schedule, Fixtures and More

With The International getting closer by the day, Tier 1 tournaments have entered a hiatus, and Tier 2 tournaments get their last chance to shine. Among the two remaining events, we have the 1win Essence II with a $200,000 USD prize pool and a handful of big teams in the lineup.
29 Jul
Eric Oliveira

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match