Team Spirit won its third The International championship on August 23, defeating Team Vision (Parivision) 3-2 at Shanghai’s Oriental Sports Center. The victory secured the Aegis of Champions and delivered a $1,426,422 prize.
For 18-year-old Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov, the final offered a breakout opportunity against his parent organization. The Team Spirit loanee helped Vision turn Game 2 around, but Yatoro and his teammates held their nerve when the Aegis came down to one last map.
Eight teams advanced from the group stage into the double-elimination main-event bracket, which ran from August 20 through August 23. The five-game final provided a fittingly chaotic finish to the Shanghai tournament.
CHAMPIONS🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/5xgxHS8sxh
— Team Spirit Dota 2 (@TSpirit_Dota2) August 23, 2026
Yatoro and Collapse put Spirit in front
Game 1 quickly became a showcase for Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk and Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov. Yatoro’s Shadow Fiend and Collapse’s Undying won their lanes, creating a combined gold advantage of more than 60,000. Yatoro finished with a 16/1/7 KDA as Spirit closed the opening game after 46 minutes.
Vision trailed 17-30 in kills at one point in Game 2, but the deficit did not turn into a quick 2-0 lead for Spirit. Vision slowed the game down and waited for an opening. Around the 43-minute mark, key contests involving Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko and Satanic helped swing the match. Vision maintained the gold lead from there and tied the series after 64 minutes.
Game 3 was far quieter for most of its 46 minutes. Gold stayed close, and the teams traded few kills during the opening 30 minutes. A decisive engagement at the 38-minute mark ended in a team wipe, giving Spirit the opening it needed to take control and move within one win of the Aegis.
⚡ @TSpirit_Dota2 takes the lead in the Grand Final, 2-1.
One win away from the Aegis.#TI2026 #Dota2 pic.twitter.com/gsTRVme9gH
— The International (@dota2ti) August 23, 2026
Team Vision forced a decider before Spirit closed the series
Vision answered in Game 4 with one of its strongest performances of the final. Support players Edgar “9Class” Naltakian and Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin recorded 20 and 19 assists, respectively, while Vision limited Spirit to 13 kills and finished with 31 of its own. A team wipe at 43 minutes sealed the game and sent the grand final to a deciding fifth map.
Drafting stayed tightly contested in the decider, but Spirit found stronger momentum and the better overall combination as the game unfolded. Yatoro’s Lifestealer gave Spirit an early lead of roughly 11,000 gold before Vision caught him in chain crowd control and used the resulting fight to swing the game back. The plan was clear: remove Spirit’s most important damage source and build every fight around that advantage.
Spirit adjusted before Vision could repeat the sequence. Yatoro and his teammates began taking the initiative in fights, regained control of the map, and burned through Vision’s buybacks. After winning the next series of engagements, Team Spirit finally claimed the Aegis and completed the 3-2 victory. The deciding game lasted about an hour.
The final also created a new player milestone. Yatoro and Collapse became the first Dota 2 players to win three International titles.
HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE!
Yatoro and Collapse are the first Dota 2 players to win THREE INTERNATIONALS! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LhMS13Xre0
— ESL Dota2 (@ESLDota2) August 23, 2026
The final moments of the championship series can be watched in the tournament clip below.
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