The battle for Southeast Asia’s single slot at The International 2026 is officially underway as 10 teams compete in the regional qualifier. Running from June 19 to June 23, 2026, the TI 2026 Southeast Asia Qualifier will send just one team to represent the region at the 15th edition of Dota 2’s premier championship, known as TI15, in Shanghai, China, scheduled for August 2026. The double-elimination bracket features four directly invited squads alongside six teams that emerged from the open qualifiers. With only one ticket to the main event at stake, the competition is expected to be highly contested over the five-day tournament.
Opening Round Results and Bracket Progress
On the opening day of action on June 19, the tournament saw immediate bracket movement. In the Upper Bracket Round 1, Grind Back secured a clean 2-0 victory against Mentality Monsters. The opening match began at 10:00 AM GMT+8, setting the tone for the day. Meanwhile, InterActive Philippines fought through a full three-game series to defeat Yangon Galacticos with a 2-1 scoreline in the 1:00 PM GMT+8 matchup, moving themselves forward while sending their opponents to the lower bracket.
The Upper Bracket Quarterfinals also commenced on June 19, featuring the first appearances of the seeded teams. Execration started their campaign at 4:00 PM GMT+8 with a 2-0 sweep over Carstensz Esports. Following that series, GLYPH matched the scoreline at 7:00 PM GMT+8 by taking down Direborn 2-0. These results set up the next round of matches scheduled for June 20, where the lower bracket survival series begin. Carstensz Esports will face Yangon Galacticos at 10:00 AM GMT+8, and Direborn will take on Mentality Monsters at 1:00 PM GMT+8 in elimination matches. Meanwhile, regional heavyweights REKONIX and OG await their opponents in the remaining quarterfinal matchups scheduled for later that afternoon.
Team Rosters and Regional Contenders
The qualifier pool features a mix of veteran talent and rising regional players. OG enters the tournament as one of the favorites, fielding an all-Filipino roster consisting of Natsumi, Yopaj-, Raven, TIMS, and skem. This lineup recorded multiple top-six finishes during the 2025-26 competitive season and remains a strong candidate for the lone TI15 ticket. The support duo of TIMS and skem brings significant international experience to the team’s strategies.
Their main competition is expected to come from REKONIX, an Indonesian-majority roster featuring Jikroy, inYourdreaM, Fbz, dalul, and Varizh. To bolster their chances, REKONIX added former TI champion MinD_ContRoL as their coach, aiming to guide players like Fbz and inYourdreaM to their tournament debuts under this banner. Other notable rosters include GLYPH, featuring JaCkky, Emo, zeal, Jhocam, and NARMAN, and Execration with Akashi, Bob, Tino, Shanks, and cml.
The open qualifier survivors also bring experienced names to the bracket. Grind Back boasts a roster featuring highly rated regional players such as 23savage, Ken, Nikko, Q, and Oli. Carstensz Esports features Dreamocel, salamat1, seimei, Ahyad, and Ace12, while InterActive Philippines competes with jedd, lewis, V, Erice, and Grimz. The remaining teams, Yangon Galacticos (Ksh, Young PH, Rupido, Dric, Teehee), Direborn (db-, Pota2, womy, deko, PlayHard), and Mentality Monsters (Cije, GaN-, egxrdemxn, OneJey, Juju), round out the 10-team field.
Format, Broadcast, and What Lies Ahead
The tournament structure is a double-elimination bracket where every match is a best-of-three series, except for the grand final on June 23, which will be a best-of-five series. With only one qualification slot allocated to Southeast Asia for the Shanghai main event, there is no room for error. Seeded teams OG, REKONIX, GLYPH, and Execration started with an advantage by being placed directly into the upper bracket quarterfinals, but the lower bracket matches on June 20 will quickly weed out the first set of eliminated teams. Fans can watch the matches live across PGL’s official streaming platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, and Kick, as the broadcast runs daily through the grand final.
Which Teams Are Still in Contention?
All 10 teams remain in contention as of the end of the first day, though Mentality Monsters, Yangon Galacticos, Carstensz Esports, and Direborn have been pushed to the lower bracket where they face immediate elimination. OG, REKONIX, GLYPH, Execration, Grind Back, and InterActive Philippines retain their upper bracket safety net. The coming days will decide who claims the single ticket to Shanghai.
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