TEAM VISION become first TI 2026 Grand Finalists after defeating Yandex

TEAM VISION are one series away from the Aegis after defeating Team Yandex 2-1 in the Upper Bracket Final of The International 2026.

Saturday had already seen Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy eliminated from the tournament, leaving just four teams standing by the time VISION and Yandex entered the server.

This series carried a very different prize.

No one was going home. Instead, the winner would become the first team to book their place in Sunday's Grand Final, while also earning the luxury of watching the rest of the tournament fight for the right to meet them there.

After three games, that team was VISION.

VISION overwhelm Yandex in Game 1

Yandex entered Game 1 looking to establish dominance through the lanes, but VISION had drafted a lineup built to make their lives increasingly uncomfortable.

The combination of Keeper of the Light, Pangolier and Techies gave VISION plenty of ways to create chaos in teamfights, while their execution was considerably more straightforward. Yandex's damage relied heavily on their cores finding and maintaining good positioning which VISION simply didn't let happen.

As the fights became more chaotic, Yandex found it increasingly difficult to play the game they needed. What began as a relatively small advantage for VISION eventually turned into a complete collapse.

By the end, VISION had amassed a staggering 65,000 gold lead. Around 50,000 of that belonged to Alan "Satanic" Gallyamov alone.

He finished the game with a flawless 7/0/18 record as VISION completely overwhelmed Yandex to move within one game of the Grand Final.

Yandex made the necessary adjustments in Game 2.

Martin "Saksa" Sazdov once again returned to Bounty Hunter, a hero he has helped push into prominence throughout TI, while Yandex addressed one of the biggest weaknesses of their opening draft by giving themselves considerably more teamfight.

VISION, meanwhile, closed their draft with Puck. The hero has struggled to make much of an impact at this event, and Volodymyr "No[o]ne-" Minenko had not found much success with it either....That didn't change here.

This time it was VISION who lacked the teamfight necessary to consistently take control, while Yandex looked far more comfortable playing around their draft.

At the center of it was Alimzhan "watson" Islambekov. His Luna produced a showstopping performance, finishing with a perfect 13/0/8 record as Yandex answered VISION's dominant opener with one of their own.

Yandez's win meant one game remained between the two teams and the first spot in the TI 2026 Grand Final.

VISION win the lanes and never look back in Game 3

Bounty Hunter was removed from Saksa's hands for the deciding game, sending him to Mirana instead.

VISION had another plan waiting. Their Timbersaw pick put considerable importance on controlling the top lane, and the laning setup they constructed around it worked beautifully. For Yandex, the opening stages quickly became a disaster.

Ilya "CHIRA_JUNIOR" Chirtsov's Invoker needed room to farm aggressively and work his way into the game, but VISION continually found him while he was trying to do exactly that. Each death made his recovery more difficult, while VISION continued building on the advantages they had already established through the lanes.

There would be no repeat of Game 2.

VISION took control early and never gave Yandex the room they needed to turn the game around, closing out the decider to secure the series 2-1.

From the qualifiers to the Grand Final

TEAM VISION are now the first Grand Finalists of The International 2026.

When Valve announced the seven direct invites for TI in May, VISION were not among them. The omission raised plenty of eyebrows, particularly after a season that included a DreamLeague Season 29 championship and had established them as one of Europe's strongest teams. Instead, they had to qualify... which they did easily.

When they arrived in Shanghai, they became the first team to secure a direct playoff spot from the Group Stage and continued winning their way through the Upper Bracket.

Now there is only one series left between them and the Aegis.