LGD Gaming wins The International 2026 South America Closed Qualifier
The storied Dota 2 esports organization, LGD Gaming, has done it! They’ll be at The International 2026’s main event, joining the directly invited teams in Shanghai, China, to compete for the Aegis of Champions later this year.
Taking to the South American servers, 10 teams competed for just one spot at The International 2026, and sparks flew in the double-elimination bracket.
LGD Gaming wasted no time making their presence felt as one of the favorites. They made a beautiful Upper Bracket run, first beating Lindorfitos 2-0, then Amura Gaming 2-0. They went on to reverse-sweep PlayTime for a spot in the Grand Final. PlayTime survived the Lower Bracket to secure their spot in the Grand Final.
LGD Gaming didn’t give PlayTime even the slightest chance for revenge in the Grand Final of the South American Closed Qualifier, beating them 3-0 to punch their ticket to Shanghai. Congratulations!
Final South American Closed Qualifier Standings
Check out the table below featuring the final standings of the South American Closed Qualifier for The International 2026.
| Placement | Team(s) | Status |
| 1st | LGD Gaming | Qualified for The International 2026 |
| 2nd | PlayTime | Eliminated |
| 3rd | Amaru Gaming | Eliminated |
| 4th | Team Nemesis | Eliminated |
| 5th–6th | Red Hot Chili Pibble, Estar Backs | Eliminated |
| 7th–8th | Lindorfitos, Hokori | Eliminated |
| 9th–10th | Rising Rage, x5 Gaming | Eliminated |
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.
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. Yes, you can also catch up on some highlights once the dust settles.
Header image via Valve.





