Your full TI 2026 schedule for the Shanghai weekends
The TI 2026 schedule splits into a Swiss group stage from 13–16 August and a single-elimination main event from 20–23 August, with a break on 17–19 August. The whole run sits in Shanghai, giving Philippine viewers an afternoon-to-evening window rather than overnight starts.
The TI 2026 schedule, block by block
Two date ranges carry the entire event. The opening Swiss group stage occupies 13 to 16 August, and the single-elimination playoffs run from 20 to 23 August. Between them sits a quiet stretch on 17–19 August with no listed competitive play. Lock those three ranges in and the rest is detail.
| Phase | Dates (2026) | Format | What it decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss group stage | 13–16 Aug | Best-of-three | Playoff seeding |
| Break | 17–19 Aug | No listed play | Scouting / travel |
| Main event | 20–23 Aug | Single elimination | The champion |
When daily start times land on the Dota 2 TI schedule
The one thing the published Dota 2 TI schedule does not yet include is the hour each series begins. Valve releases day-by-day broadcast times closer to the event, and we will not invent them in the meantime. As soon as the official times appear, this page fills the exact slots so you can plan your evenings around the matches that matter.
Until then, the safe planning assumption for a viewer in the Philippines is simple: the Shanghai host city shares our timezone, so a match that starts at a given local hour in the arena starts at the same hour on your clock. That makes the Dota 2 TI 2026 schedule far easier to follow here than the European editions that pushed finals into the early morning. There is no overnight grind and no painful conversion maths to do before a series begins.
How the schedule shapes the rest of the event
The calendar is more than a list of dates — it dictates how the tournament feels. The Swiss block is forgiving, so early upsets rarely end a run, while the playoff weekend is ruthless and every series is win-or-go-home. Knowing which phase you are watching changes how much weight a single result deserves.
If you are mapping out which days to take off work, the playoff weekend of 20–23 August is the one to protect. For the bigger picture around those dates, our standings and bracket tracker shows how seeding from the group stage carries into the knockout ladder, and the main hub ties every section together. The full The International 2026 date range, start to finish, never changes from that 13–23 August window.
- 13–16 Aug — Swiss group stage, best-of-three.
- 17–19 Aug — break, no listed play.
- 20–23 Aug — single-elimination playoffs.
- Daily times — to be confirmed by Valve.
One more planning note for newcomers: because the TI 15 schedule keeps the group stage and playoffs on separate weekends, you can dip in for the opening Swiss rounds, take the midweek break off, and return fresh for the decisive bracket. That rhythm suits anyone juggling work or study around the event. For betting angles tied to specific match days, the odds and predictions guide is the place to start before any stake.