Team Spirit win The International 2026 in Shanghai and complete remarkable same-day esports double

Team Spirit defeated TEAM VISION 3-2 in a five-game The International 2026 grand final in Shanghai to become the first organisation in Dota 2 history to win three Aegis of Champions. Hours later, the club’s Counter-Strike 2 roster completed an extraordinary August 23 by winning the Esports World Cup in Paris.

Team Spirit have made Dota 2 history after defeating TEAM VISION 3-2 in the grand final of The International 2026 at Shanghai’s Oriental Sports Center on August 23. The victory gave Spirit their third Aegis of Champions after previous triumphs in 2021 and 2023, making them the first organisation to win Dota 2’s biggest tournament three times.

The final went the full five games. Spirit opened the series with a 46-minute victory, highlighted by a dominant performance from Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk on Shadow Fiend. TEAM VISION responded in a 64-minute second game before Spirit moved back ahead in Game 3. VISION then forced a deciding map with victory in Game 4.

The deciding fifth game lasted more than 64 minutes. TEAM VISION initially held the stronger position, but Spirit gradually gained control through several decisive team fights. A key sequence saw Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov use Lotus Orb to reflect Juggernaut’s Omnislash, while rue’s Bane helped neutralise Satanic. Spirit eventually broke through VISION’s base and won the final engagement to secure the Aegis.

Spirit’s route to the title was particularly demanding. TEAM VISION had already beaten them twice during TI 2026 — 2-0 in the group stage and 2-1 in the upper-bracket semifinal. After dropping to the lower bracket, Spirit eliminated Team Liquid, BoomBoys and Team Yandex before returning for a third meeting with VISION in the grand final.

The victory also created individual records. Yatoro and Collapse became the first players in Dota 2 history to win The International three times. Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov also collected a third TI title, having won twice as a player before taking the 2026 trophy as Spirit’s coach. Denis “Larl” Sigitov became a two-time champion, while not_me and rue won their first Aegis.

Spirit earned approximately $1.4 million from a TI 2026 prize pool of roughly $3.33 million. TEAM VISION finished second, while Team Yandex took third place. The tournament began with 16 teams before eight advanced to the main event in Shanghai from August 20 to 23.

But August 23 became even more significant for the organisation because Spirit were simultaneously competing for another major title thousands of kilometres away. In Paris, the club’s Counter-Strike 2 roster defeated FUT Esports 3-1 in the Esports World Cup final at Accor Arena. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets was named MVP, and the CS2 team collected $600,000 and 1,000 Club Championship points.

The two victories created a remarkable same-day double: Spirit lifted the Aegis in Shanghai and the EWC Counter-Strike trophy in Paris on August 23. The Dota 2 title alone established a new historical benchmark with three TI victories, while the simultaneous CS2 success turned the date into one of the most successful single days in Team Spirit’s history and underlined the organisation’s strength across multiple esports disciplines.