Chinese teams fail to register a win on Day 1 of The International 2026

August 13th was finally here, and for everyone that loves Dota 2, it came with the start of The International 2026. All 16 teams would be in action, with some even getting a chance to play twice. While the Group Stage was just getting started, there were clear winners and losers from Day 1 – but the teams still had a long path ahead.

Interestingly, it was the home teams that found the most troubles on Day 1, unable to take a full series.

The illusion of a home advantage

While TI had just kicked off from Shanghai, China, with three teams from the region, it was clear that there may be no such thing as a home ground advantage. Although the Group Stage did not have a crowd cheering in the background, the struggles of the Chinese teams were clear. It was only Team Resilience living up to their name, taking a single game off TEAM VISION in the first round, but eventually setting for a 1-2 defeat.

When it came to their second-round series, Resilience went up against LGD Gaming and gave us one of the most exciting series of the day. Unfortunately, even with another singular game claimed, they would eventually face another defeat.

Elsewhere, both Vici Gaming and Xtreme Gaming were left shattered after their Day 1 endeavours ended without a win. For VG, they were destroyed by Team Liquid, while Team Spirit dealt with any possible threats from XG, including possible comebacks and farmed Phantom Lancers.

Keeping it (relatively) clean at the top

Both Round 2 series in the 1-0 bracket would give us some amazing showings from the teams involved, fighting knowing that TI glory could be in their future. BoomBoys and Iron Wing were up first, and their series would go the distance, giving us a TI-record in its path.

In Game 3, where it all mattered, IW saw themselves 34.9k net worth ahead, and sitting pretty, ready to move into the next winner’s bracket. However, with the biggest comeback ever at a TI, BB turned things around and secured themselves a 2-1 win.

VISION and Team Falcons would be the other series, where Game 3 was yet another epic brawl. One on side were the champions of TI 2025, already off to a great start. On the other, the team that many consider favourites for TI 2026, hoping to live up to their hype.

It was Divine Rapier gaming in the late game, with insane damage coming out from both teams. With the item dropping from crazy plays, and everyone picking them up, the game descended into organised professional Dota 2 chaos. By the time the dust (and Rapiers) had settled, VISION would be the victors.

At the end of Day 1, we had already seen some amazing Dota 2 action at TI 2026. Day 2 is just around the corner, and more epic action is still to come. The tournament has just begun, but some teams are already setting themselves up in the best possible way to lift the Aegis of Champions.