Spirit dismantle BoomBoys to secure top three finish at TI 2026

The lower bracket semifinals at The International 2026 pitted Team Spirit against BoomBoys.

Team Spirit, the two-time TI champions who have made a habit of peaking at The International, found themselves navigating the lower bracket after a setback against Team Vision in the upper bracket semifinals. BoomBoys had a slightly longer run through the elimination rounds, opening the quarterfinals with a loss to the same Team Vision.

Team Spirit 2:0 BoomBoys

Game one featured a staple trio core from Spirit who were able to secure Slardar-Tiny-Ember Spirit and showcased once again why they are one of the most feared lower bracket teams in the scene. Their minus armor combo proved to be utterly devastating even against a carry Templar Assassin, which at least in theory should have stood a chance against burst damage. Collapse was flawless on the Slardar, finishing the game with a clean 6/0/7 KDA while Larl on Ember Spirit and not_me on Rubick provided the mobility and utility needed to keep BetBoom on the back foot.

That marked Kiritych's second loss on Templar Assassin at TI 2026, which makes it even worse considering what happened in the next game.

Team Spirit returned to the stage, determined to make a quick end to BoomBoys and teach them a lesson in the process. They picked the TA for themselves and simply ran over their adversaries. It was before the 10-minute mark when Yatoro was diving BoomBoys past the tier two tower in the bottom lane to eventually force a 30-minute GG call.

Day 3 of the TI 2026 playoffs stage was one where Team Spirit shifted up the gear, coming with a very fast-paced strategies for all four games they got to play on the Oriental Sports Center stage. Might be an indicator that they are preparing for a rematch against Team Vision in the grand finals, but for that, they will have one more pit stop.

The TI 2026 lower bracket final, Team Spirit vs Team Yandex is scheduled to commence at 10 am local time/04:00 CEST followed by the grand finals where Team Vision are waiting.