Team Spirit and Team Vision secure first two European spots at The International 2026

The International European qualifiers have its first winners.

Team Spirit became the first team from the region to qualify for The International 2026 after defeating Nigma Galaxy 2-1 in the upper bracket final. Shortly afterward, Team Vision followed suit, overcoming Virtus.pro by the same scoreline to secure the second qualification spot.

Two more places remain available and will be decided through the lower bracket over the weekend.

Team Spirit recover after early stumble

Coming into the qualifier, Team Spirit looked every bit the favorite. The roster swept through its opening two series without dropping a game before meeting Nigma Galaxy with the first TI berth on the line.

Nigma, however, refused to follow the script.

They stunned Spirit by taking the opening game, briefly threatening one of the qualifier's biggest upsets. The response from Team Spirit was immediate. In Game 2, they regained control of the tempo, finding pickoff after pickoff and never allowing Nigma to establish a foothold as they comfortably leveled the series.

The deciding game belonged entirely to Spirit.

The team looked transformed, dominating every stage of the map while Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk produced a flawless 24-0-9 performance on Sven to send Team Spirit back to The International.

Nigma Galaxy now drops to the lower bracket, where another chance at qualification still awaits.

Team Vision justify favorite status

The second qualifying match carried its own storyline.

Team Vision, competing under the temporary name required for The International qualifiers, entered as one of the overwhelming favorites after many believed the roster had been unfortunate to miss out on a direct invitation following its DreamLeague Season 29 championship.

Unlike Team Vision's smooth run through the upper bracket, Virtus.pro arrived after surviving two consecutive three-game elimination series.

The extra matches appeared to give Virtus.pro confidence early on as they claimed Game 1 behind another strong performance from Timado. But that momentum disappeared quickly.

Team Vision responded with a dominant Game 2, completely taking over after the early stages and leaving Virtus.pro with few opportunities to recover.

The deciding map was even more decisive.

A last-pick Meepo gave Team Vision a clear draft advantage, and they converted it into complete map control. While Virtus.pro struggled to get Timado the farm he needed to carry, Team Vision dictated the pace from the opening minutes and never relinquished it, sealing both the series and their place at The International 2026.

Although Team Spirit and Team Vision have already secured their tickets to Shanghai, the Western European qualifier is far from over. Nigma Galaxy and Virtus.pro remain alive in the lower bracket, where two more coveted TI places are still up for grabs.