Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy advanced to the playoffs of The International 2026, while 1w Team defeated Team Yandex in the group stage.
Team Liquid defeated Aurora Gaming, Nigma Galaxy beat Team Spirit, and Iron Wing (1w Team) proved stronger than Team Yandex in the group stage of The International 2026.
On the first map, Aurora dominated their opponent from the very start. In the second game, the “Horses” evened the series by overwhelming their opponent with their pace. At match point, Aurora Gaming was unable to counter Liquid’s draft, despite having equal net worth.
Iron Wing, having won the lanes, put Team Yandex under pressure, which they were unable to handle; however, in the second game, they lost to their opponent in a similar scenario. In the final game of the series, Yandex couldn’t find a way to counter Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko’s Io.
The match between Team Spirit and Nigma Galaxy ended with a score of 2–0. The “Dragons” held the lead on the lanes on every map, but Said “SumaiL” Samail Hassan’s team staged a comeback by outfarming Spirit.
As a result, Aurora Gaming and 1w Team finished the group stage with a 3–2 record, while Team Yandex finished with a 2–3 record. Each of these teams will compete in the elimination round, while Team Liquid and Nigma Galaxy, in turn, advance to the playoffs.
The elimination round of The International 2026 will take place on August 16 in Shanghai, China. As a result, four teams will be eliminated from the year’s premier tournament, while four others will advance to the playoffs, where they will continue to battle for the championship title.
Watch all The International 2026 matches with real-time stats in the OFFSTAGE match center!
Photo: Valve.
