Team Spirit makes Dota 2 history as first three-time TI champions

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Russian esports organization Team Spirit pulled off a historic feat by becoming the first-ever three-time Dota 2 The International world champions on Aug. 23, 2026, during TI15 in Shanghai, China.

The lineup of Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk, Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov, Denis “Larl” Sigitov, Aleksandr “Rue” Filin, and Alexey “not me” Kosmynin came all the way from the lower bracket to lift the Aegis of Champions, outlasting the talented Team Vision in a thrilling five-game grand final series.

With another Aegis in the bag, Team Spirit officially broke its tie with OG Esports and Team Liquid for the most championship wins at TI.

It was a redemption arc after Team Vision defeated Team Spirit in the upper bracket semifinals, knocking them down to the grueling lower bracket stage.

However, Team Spirit rediscovered its peak form in the lower bracket as it swept its way from the quarterfinals to the bracket finals against Liquid, BoomBoys, and Team Yandex.

Not a single match was dropped in a total of six maps, and Team Spirit entered the highly anticipated rematch with all the momentum in the world.

Game 1 was a classic Team Spirit rundown, as its Shadow Fiend-Slark core draft proved to be too much for Team Vision, forcing it to put Ember Spirit in the safe lane while picking Io to address its midlane issues.

Ideally, Team Vision’s lane switch answered Team Spirit’s Slark counterpick, but offlaner Collapse selected Undying, which made Ember Spirit’s lane miserable.

In Game 2, Team Spirit almost went up 2-0 after a blistering start, but Team Vision’s patience and root-centric draft took advantage of Yatoro’s late Black King Bar pickup on his Shadow Fiend.

As a result, Team Vision won two major midgame clashes, which allowed its Lifestealer to recover and carry until the late game.

Team Spirit quickly answered with a Game 3 win and moved a map away from claiming the Aegis, courtesy of Yatoro’s insane Terrorblade game.

Despite Team Vision’s Slardar-Shadow Fiend minus-armor counterdraft, Yatoro’s insane teamfight participation and game sense propelled Team Spirit to the win for a 2-1 series lead.

Just when Team Spirit thought the Aegis was within reach, Team Vision responded with urgency in Game 4, equalizing the series to force a winner-take-all Game 5 for all the marbles.

Team Vision took advantage of its Sand King-Doom draft, as it started to run down the map and stalled Team Spirit’s Templar Assassin and Storm Spirit core picks.

The do-or-die Game 5 was absolute cinema, as the tightly contested match came down to experience, teamfight execution, and an advantage in mechanical skill.

Team Spirit’s championship pedigree showed in the crucial moments, especially through Rue, who bailed Yatoro’s Lifestealer out of a disastrous clash with the game-winning sleep save.

Team Vision initially had the upper hand during the last clash after Axe’s call and Juggernaut’s Omnislash nearly killed Lifestealer, but Rue’s clutch Bane sleep save prevented him from being targeted and also allowed Yatoro to cast his Satanic.

A couple of buybacks boosted Team Vision’s chances of turning the game around, but Team Spirit’s clinical teamfight execution sealed the series win and the organization’s third Aegis of Champions.

Now that Team Spirit has won its third TI, the GOAT debate in Dota 2 ends here.