The International 2026 South America Closed Qualifier Guide
The excitement for The International 2026 is palpable, as Dota 2 esports fans have marked their calendars for 13 to 23 August 2026, when the battle for the Aegis of Champions takes place in Shanghai, China.
Before we get to the main event, we need to find out which nine (9) teams from the regional Closed Qualifiers will join the seven (7) direct invites. In this no-nonsense viewer’s guide, we focus on the upcoming The International 2026 South America Closed Qualifier.
Important SA Closed Qualifier details
The South American Closed Qualifier (no, SA doesn’t stand for South Africa here) runs from 15 to 19 June 2026. Valve has invited the following six teams to the South America Closed Qualifier event, namely:
- LGD Gaming
- PlayTime
- Estar Backs
- Red Hot Chili Pibble
- Amaru Gaming
- Hokori
A total of ten (10) teams will compete in the Closed Qualifier, with the final slots being filled with teams who make it through the grueling regional Open Qualifiers. In the Closed Qualifier, teams will compete for just one spot at the main event of The International 2026.
Open Qualifier #1 runs from 9 to 10 June, and Open Qualifier #2 runs from 11 to 12 June. These are all online events taking place on the South American servers, with PGL at the helm as the organizers.
The Closed Qualifiers are hosted by tournament organizer PGL. English-language viewers can tune in to the PGL_Dota2 Twitch channel or the PGL YouTube channel to watch all the matches unfold live. Stay tuned to Esports Central as we’ll bring you results and coverage of the biggest Dota 2 events leading up to The International 2026 and beyond! We’ll take a look at each regional Closed Qualifier until we have all 16 teams competing for the Aegis of Champions.
Header image via Valve.
