The TI qualifiers 2026 fill nine of the sixteen slots through five regional routes: Europe, China, Southeast Asia, North America and South America. South America (LGD Gaming) and China (Vici Gaming) are confirmed; SEA, North America and Europe are still being decided.
How the TI qualifiers 2026 are structured
Of the sixteen places in Shanghai, seven go to directly invited teams and nine are earned. Those earned slots split across five regions, with Europe taking four, China two, and Southeast Asia, North America and South America one each. That weighting reflects where the deepest fields sit this cycle, and it means the European bracket is the most crowded fight while single-slot regions are sudden-death affairs.
Each region ran an open phase and then a closed phase. The TI open qualifiers 2026 let unsigned and lower-tier rosters scrap for a handful of advancement spots, played across 9 to 12 June. The survivors joined invited teams in the TI closed qualifiers 2026, the stage where the actual TI slots are won. Understanding that two-step funnel is the key to reading any regional bracket without confusing a minor result for a major one.
The TI SEA qualifiers and why Filipino fans watch closest
For this audience the TI SEA qualifiers are the main event before the main event. Southeast Asia carries a single slot and a deep pool of around ten contenders, so the margin between Shanghai and heartbreak is razor thin. The TI 2026 SEA qualifiers have featured Filipino sides and regional mainstays, and while none can be called qualified yet, the area's history of producing International finalists keeps local hope high.
The decisive stage is the The International 2026 SEA closed qualifier, where the region's best rosters meet for that one ticket. As of late June this bracket is still live, so we name teams only as being in contention, never as having advanced. The moment the slot is decided it will be confirmed here, with the result tied back to the teams rundown. Until then, treat any "SEA winner" claim with real caution.
Confirmed names on the road to The International 2026
The road to The International 2026 is partly paved already. South America wrapped first, and LGD Gaming claimed its sole slot. China then locked in two qualifiers, with Vici Gaming confirmed as one; the second Chinese seed is reported as Team Resilience, though sources are not yet unanimous, so we hold that name as provisional. Those are the qualifier-route teams that can currently be stated with confidence.
| Region | Slots | Status (late June 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| South America | 1 | Concluded — LGD Gaming |
| China | 2 | Concluded — Vici Gaming + a second seed reported as Team Resilience |
| Southeast Asia | 1 | In progress — winner not yet decided |
| North America | 1 | Not yet started / early |
| Europe | 4 | In progress — double-elimination, no slots locked |
The remaining regions are exactly why the field is not closed. Europe is mid-bracket with four slots on a double-elimination format, North America is only getting under way, and SEA is still being fought out. We will not declare a sixteen-team field until those brackets finish, and we will never invent an advancing team for an open region.
What the The International 2026 qualifiers still need to settle
Plenty remains undecided. The The International 2026 qualifiers have produced confirmed winners in only two of five regions, which leaves seven of the nine earned slots still open. For Filipino viewers the SEA result is the one to watch, but the European outcome matters too, since four of the toughest teams in the field will emerge from there.
- SEA: one slot, still in progress
- North America: one slot, bracket early or pending
- Europe: four slots, double elimination ongoing
- Confirmed so far: LGD Gaming (SA) and Vici Gaming (CN)
Keep this page bookmarked as those results land, and cross-check the eventual lineup against our tournament briefing for the format context. Once teams are locked you can carry them straight into the standings and bracket tracker to see how the seeding shakes out. The clean line to hold onto is simple: two regions done, three to go, and no final attendee list until every bracket is closed.