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How Team Spirit finally broke Team Vision’s hold to win TI 2026

A look back at August’s International: two series losses to Team Vision, an unbeaten lower-bracket run and a five-game final in Shanghai.

CS
ClutchScope editorial
Published 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read
Fact-checked 24 Oct 2026 · Times stated with their timezone
Fictional MOBA world · AI illustration
Fictional MOBA world · AI illustration
AI sculptural illustration of a Dota-inspired Aegis shield and a pale spirit dragon above a branching stone path
Original AI illustration by ClutchScope; symbolic Dota-inspired championship art, not a photograph of Team Spirit or the tournament.
In this article
  1. Two defeats that changed Spirit’s route
  2. A clean lower bracket, then a final that kept resetting
  3. The five names on the Aegis

Team Spirit beat Team Vision 3–2 to win The International 2026 in Shanghai, finally overcoming the opponent that had beaten them twice earlier in the tournament. The final took place on 23 August. This is a look back at the completed championship, using Valve’s official recap to trace the route to the Aegis.

The final was not a meeting between teams whose paths had barely crossed. Team Vision had already forced Spirit into an extra qualification series and then sent them into the lower bracket at the main event.

Two defeats that changed Spirit’s route

Spirit began the group stage with 2–0 wins over Xtreme Gaming and Aurora Gaming, followed by a 2–1 victory against Team Liquid. One more series win would have secured their main-stage place.

Instead, Team Vision beat them 2–0, and Nigma Galaxy followed with another 2–0 defeat. Spirit then needed an elimination-round win against Team Resilience. They took the opener, lost the second game and won the decider to reach the arena.

At the main event, Spirit beat Iron Wing before meeting Vision again. This time they lost 1–2. Vision had now beaten Spirit in two different phases; Spirit had to take the longer route once more.

A clean lower bracket, then a final that kept resetting

Spirit eliminated Team Liquid without dropping a game, then won two more series 2–0, the last against Team Yandex to reach the Grand Finals. Vision arrived without having lost a series in Shanghai.

Spirit won the final’s first game. Vision recovered in the second, Spirit moved ahead again in the third, and Vision levelled the series in the fourth. The fifth game lasted roughly an hour before Spirit claimed the championship, according to Valve’s recap.

That sequence is what gives the result its weight: Spirit did not just survive a five-game final. They won it against the team that had repeatedly blocked their progress, after playing through both an elimination round and the lower bracket.

The five names on the Aegis

Valve records the winning lineup as Yatoro, Larl, Collapse, not_me and rue. It identifies Yatoro and Collapse as three-time winners, Larl as a two-time winner, and welcomes not_me and rue as new champions.

For a replay, start with the official Dota 2 YouTube channel, which Valve links for the full broadcast archive. Watching the earlier Vision meetings before the final preserves the tournament context that a highlights reel can miss. Our Dota 2 player board tracks career tournament receipts separately from this single title.