The TI 2026 teams field holds sixteen sides: seven direct invites and nine qualifier slots. Seven invites are confirmed and a couple of qualifier seeds are locked, but the full roster list stays open while SEA, North America and Europe finish their brackets.
How the TI 2026 teams field is built
Sixteen names will eventually fill the bracket, and they arrive by two paths. The TI 2026 teams come from seven direct invites handed out by Valve and nine slots earned through regional qualifiers. That split is why the attendee list firms up in stages: the invites were known first, while the qualifier seats fill as each region finishes. Anyone searching the The International 2026 teams list early will therefore find it half-complete, and that is the honest state of the field rather than an oversight.
Returning fans should resist reading any early list as final. A clean rule keeps you honest: a side is only a confirmed participant when its slot is officially locked, whether by invite or by winning a closed qualifier. We carry confirmed names plainly and mark everything else as provisional, the same caution we apply on the qualifiers tracker.
The seven TI 2026 invited teams
The invite list arrived in late May and shaped early expectations. The TI 2026 invited teams announced were Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming and Team Yandex. Six of those are European sides, with Xtreme Gaming standing as the Chinese invite, which tells you a lot about where Valve saw the strongest season form heading into this cycle.
One detail deserves a hedge. Each TI 2026 direct invite is a Valve decision rather than a result, and roster databases currently list the invited Tundra lineup under a rebranded name, so if you see a different tag against that slot, treat it as the same group of players. Beyond that wrinkle, the seven invites are the firmest part of the field today, and they set the bar the qualifier teams must clear.
Invited (confirmed)
Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming and Team Yandex hold the seven direct seats. Six are European; Xtreme Gaming is the Chinese invite. Treat any rebrand of the Tundra lineup as the same roster.
Qualified so far
LGD Gaming came through South America and Vici Gaming through China, the two regions that have finished so far. A second Chinese seed is reported as Team Resilience but is not yet unanimously confirmed, so we hold it as provisional. The SEA, North American and four European seats are still open.
Why a TI 2026 roster can still change
A confirmed seat does not always mean a frozen lineup. A TI 2026 roster can shift right up to the registration deadline through stand-ins, role swaps or last-minute signings, and the databases fans rely on sometimes lag a day or two behind a real change. That is why we describe lineups carefully and avoid printing a player five who may already have moved on.
The broader churn that returning viewers track is the offseason reshuffle. The post TI shuffle after the previous edition redistributed talent across the scene, lifting some rosters into invite contention and dropping others into the qualifier grind. Reading the current field through that lens explains why a few unfamiliar names sit beside the usual powerhouses, and our event briefing keeps that context in view.
The full TI 2026 participants picture
Put it together and the TI 2026 participants list is seven invites locked, two qualifier seeds confirmed, and the rest pending across three open regions. For a Filipino audience the missing SEA name is the headline gap, since that slot decides whether a home-region side joins the field. We will fill each remaining seat here as it is officially won.
- Direct invites (7): Aurora Gaming, BoomBoys, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming, Team Yandex
- Confirmed qualifiers: LGD Gaming (SA), Vici Gaming (CN)
- Provisional: a second Chinese seed reported as Team Resilience
- Still open: SEA, North America and four European slots
That is the honest state of play. The invited core is set, two earned seats are filled, and the field will not be complete until the remaining brackets close. Check this page against the standings tracker once the games begin, when the names finally turn into results.