Team Spirit crowned The International 2026 Grand Champions in Shanghai
Team Spirit defeated Team Vision in a five-game final to claim the Aegis of Champions at The International 2026, ending their tournament run with an unforgettable victory.
Congratulations to Team Spirit, the Grand Champions of The International 2026. After a challenging year, the Russian squad regained their ultimate form in Shanghai, surviving a grueling five-game Grand Finals slugfest to claim the Aegis of Champions.
Team Spirit's journey began with strong performances in the Group Stage, securing victories over Xtreme Gaming and Aurora Gaming. However, their path to the main event was not straightforward; they lost crucial series against Team Liquid, Team Vision, and Nigma Galaxy, serving as stepping stones for other teams to qualify.
In the elimination round, Spirit faced a scrappy Team Resilience. Despite an early lead, Resilience forced a decisive Game Three, but Spirit managed to pull away in the back half of the match to secure their spot at The International Main Event.
Once inside the arena, Spirit encountered dangerous opponents like Iron Wing and Team Vision again. They successfully clipped Iron Wing, sending them to the Lower Bracket. However, facing Team Vision once more proved difficult, resulting in a 1-2 loss that dropped Spirit into the Lower Bracket where they faced Team Liquid.
Spirit flushed Liquid out of the tournament with an undefeated run through the Lower Bracket, bouncing both BoomBoys and Team Yandex with 2-0 statements to reach the Grand Finals against Team Vision. The team that had blocked Spirit's path every step of the way was now the final obstacle between them and the Aegis.
The Grand Finals were a hard-fought battle. Game one went to Team Spirit, but Vision clawed back to even the series at one game apiece in Game Two. Spirit held firm to retake the series lead 2-1, just one win away from the Aegis. Once again, Vision denied them, forcing a winner-take-all Game Five.
After an hour-long showdown that was still anyone's game until the very end, Team Spirit finally overcame the team that had tormented them throughout the tournament. They claimed the Aegis of Champions and crowned themselves the very best Dota team in the world.
The immortal pantheon now includes Illia "Yatoro" Muliarchuk, Denis "Larl" Sigitov, Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov, Alexey "not_me" Kosmynin, and Alexander "rue" Filin. These names shall forever be inscribed upon the Aegis of Champions as the 2026 Grand Champions.
If you missed any of the broadcast or want to rewatch iconic plays, head over to the Dota 2 YouTube channel for replays of the entire show. You can also find a collection of photos from the event on the Dota 2 Instagram and even more hi-res shots on our Dota 2 Flickr.
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