ESPORTS · DOTA 2
The International 2026 Locked for Berlin — October 16-25
Valve confirmed The International 2026 dates this week — October 16-25, in Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Group stage runs October 16-19, double-elim playoffs October 21-25, grand finals on the Sunday. Twenty teams across the tournament — twelve direct invites from DPC, eight regional qualifiers. Prize pool sits at $5M base with crowdfunded additions on top.
Bigger story is venue. Mercedes-Benz Arena holds 17,000 and Valve is building out the entire bowl — return to pre-2022 TI scale fans have been asking for. Format also adds a new lower-bracket reseed after upper-bracket finals.
The Circuit Take
17,000-cap arena, full DPC pipeline, lower-bracket reseed. TI 2026 is shaping up as a return-to-form year for Dota.
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