Zais called the consolidation of the European qualifiers for The International 2026 a good decision
Commentator Nikita “Zais” Zakharov shared his thoughts on the participants of The International 2026 on his personal Telegram channel, calling the consolidation of the European qualifiers a good decision.
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It’s going to be quite a show!
The European qualifiers for The International 2026 wrapped up yesterday, and now we know all 16 participating teams.
It’s worth mentioning that merging the Eastern and Western European qualifiers was a great decision. The battle for the four slots was very exciting to watch, and the suspense lasted until the very last map. Strik’s run through the lower bracket will be remembered for a long time.
But the coolest part is the final list of participants. I’ve been saying for half a year now: we’re in for a wildly unpredictable International. Because there’s no clear favorite.
There are tons of awesome Tier 1 teams, but they’ve all been through some rough patches this season. Take anyone you like: Liquid, “Tundra,” Falcons, Spirit, XG, Aurora—absolutely everyone has struggled this year. And on top of that, the Tier 2 teams really stepped it up in the qualifiers.
In short, I feel like TI2026 could be one of the most intense and interesting tournaments in terms of team balance in a long time. The main thing is that the teams spend the remaining 1.5 months training, not slacking off.
Earlier, commentator Nikita “Zais” Zakharov spoke about the new in-game event, “Dark Carnival”: “This new event format is better for the game. It has a lasting effect. ‘Carnival’ helps retain the audience.”
Photo: Nikita “Zais” Zakharov.
