Team Yandex secures a guaranteed top 3 finish at The International 2026

The International 2026 continued towards finding a champion today, with a string of series. While we saw two teams have their hopes of lifting the Aegis ripped away, we also saw another two find their way into the upper bracket finals. The first of these would be TEAM VISION, and their opponent would be between Nigma Galaxy and Team Yandex.

Nigma Galaxy drops to the lower bracket

It was expected to be an intense series between these two teams, especially with a spot in the upper bracket finals on the line at TI 2026. Even so, nobody could have predicted a first game that would see a huge comeback. While Yandex powered ahead in the early game, building up a massive 25k net worth lead, Cedric “Davai” Deckmyn’s Enigma was at the helm to turn things around.

With some huge Black Hole plays, NGX turned the tides, securing the first game of the series. But Yandex did not lose heart, and played as though nothing happened, managing to convert their strong lineup in Game 2 into a solid victory. Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov took his Kez into the enemy, tying up the series with an 18/4/15 scoreline.

The final game of the series would be the most even of the three, with both teams keeping in contention. But, Yandex were consistently the aggressors, running at NGX whenever they had a chance. Spearhead by a magnificent Axe from Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin, Yandex began to pull ahead and NGX could not keep up.

Eventually, NGX called GG, giving Yandex a huge victory, as they marched into the upper bracket finals, where they will face TEAM VISION for a chance to reach the grand finals of TI 2026. For Nigma, it is not over just yet, as they move to the lower bracket where they will need to begin their battles with an elimination series against Boom Boys.