The youngest and oldest players at The International 2026

Through the years we have seen some iconic moments at The International, such as Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan claiming victory at only 16 years of age. He was also the youngest player to ever win an official Valve Dota 2 event, doing so shortly before he turned 16 – a great birthday gift. While Sumail will be present at The International 2026, 11 years older now, a new generation of young players are coming through the ranks alongside the old guard that still remains.

This year will see players ranging from 17 to 32, but no matter the age, they all have one thing on their mind. Lifting the Aegis of Champions and being crowned champions of TI 2026.

The youngest players

The International is 15 years old, which means that when it began, the youngest two players would have been barely able to pronounce the names of their favourite Dota 2 heroes. However, at 17 and 18 years of age, these two players have definitely proven their prowess and reached a level that we wish we could have had at that age.

Peru’s young pubstar

Peru may sometimes be in the Dota 2 news for all the wrong reasons, but when it comes to young talent, this region has it by the bucket load. This TI will see a 17-year-old pubstar take to the stage as the youngest contender for the year, in the form of Santiago Olivos “TaiLung” Agüero Gustavo- the midlane player for LGD Gaming. Having missed out on TI 2025 by a small margin with OG.LATAM, he now gets to make his mark on the grand stage, bringing in some amazing plays for such a young talent. While he may not have a ton of experience under his belt, TaiLung's confidence shines within the LGD roster, as he hopes for his first Tier 1 tournament victory to come on the biggest stage of them all.

TEAM VISIONS prodigy

Alan "Satanic" Gallyamov is already a household name when it comes to Dota 2, even at only 18 years of age. While the player was benched from Team Spirit after only a few tournaments, he has really begun to shine since joining TEAM VISION aka PARIVISION. Third place at TI 2025 was a huge step on his journey, but his most recent accolade, first place at the Esports World Cup 2026, sets him on a path to lift the Aegis of Champions in Shanghai, China. For some time, Satanic held the record as the youngest known player to reach 13,000 MMR in Dota 2, but since then it was broken by the Natus Vincere star, Artem "Niku" Bachkur. With a fantastic repertoire of carry heroes under his belt, Satanic is on the perfect trajectory to write his name into the TI history books.

The old guard

Calling these two players old would feel as though it was an insult, but it is not in any way, shape, or form. With a storied history within the game, they found themselves amongst some of the absolute best – and have earned the right to call themselves the best, too. While many may think that esports is a “young person’s game”, there are a host of players that prove that they still have what it takes to reach the top.

Team Liquid’s “Ace”

For many, Marcus Folke “Ace” Hoelgaard Christensen may only have become well-known during his stint with Gaimin Gladiators. However, for the rest of us, Ace’s history in Dota 2 started in 2012 within the professional scene. His first TI was in 2018, alongside Team Secret, before he moved on to Ninjas in Pyjamas the following year – and then came the GG era. While the Aegis has been out of his reach, at 32 years of age, Ace is now a prominent figure within Team Liquid’s lineup, and the team have certainly shown their brilliance this year.

fy-god

It has been 2 years since Xu “fy” Linsen has taken to the stage at The International. This time, he has been reunited with Wang “Ame” Chunyu, as he joins Xtreme Gaming on their home turf, hoping to finally get their hands on the Aegis. At 31 years of age now, the Aegis has eluded fy ever since 2014, where he made his first grand finals appearance. But, his age hasn’t stopped him from being a stalwart as support – and he remains a pivotal figure in XG’s hopes.

Honourable mentions

Although fy is mentioned above at 31, there are 3 other players also at 31 years of age participating at TI2026. Some have even lifted the Aegis previously, while others hope to finally achieve that goal this year. Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu, Danil "Bignum" Shekhovtsov, and Martin "Saksa" Sazdovare are all right there on the same page with fy and have a 14-year age gap between themselves and the youngest competitor.

Sneyking, in this regard, is also the oldest player to lift the Aegis – and has claimed this record on two separate occasions. His first came with Tundra Esports at TI 2022, before Aydin “Insania” Sarkohl took that spot in 2024. However, at TI 2025, just last year, SneyKing reclaimed the title with Team Falcons, and once again became the oldest player to be crowned champion of TI.

At the end of the day, Dota 2 and TI is for everyone, no matter their age. Players have shown us this throughout the years, lifting trophies at 15, and attending TI in their 30's. With that said, all players walk the same path now, and it leads to Shanghai, China, where one team will be crowned as the champions of TI 2026.