Disclaimer: The rosters listed in our rankings are accurate as of January 13, 2026. Our rankings represent an early-2026 snapshot, based on team performances across major Tier 1 events.

With the Dota 2 esports calendar jam-packed with tournaments in 2026, the pro scene will once again be defined by a small group of elite teams setting the pace at the highest level. Established powerhouses will seek to extend their dominance, while new challengers strive for a breakthrough.

Let’s pop a BKB and blink into the discussion about the best Dota 2 teams of 2026 and retrace their achievements at recent events.

Dota 2 Team Rankings: Best Squads At The Start Of 2026

To make our Dota 2 team rankings as accurate as possible, we conducted diligent research. Although we used solid, publicly available data, such as tournament placements, keep in mind that picking the best esports teams is never an exact science.

Team Falcons (#1)

Team Falcons sits at the top of our Dota 2 team rankings. With a veteran roster and the incredible midlaner Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, the EMEA giant is absolutely brimming with talent. Most importantly, the squad became the champions of The International 2025 (TI14), with Malr1ne named the MVP. 

Check out the list of significant achievements in chronological order below.

• 2nd at FISSURE Playground 1
• 2nd at BLAST Slam III
• 2nd at Esports World Cup
• 1st at FISSURE Universe: Episode 6
• 1st at The International 2025
• 2nd at BLAST Slam IV
• 1st at FISSURE Playground 2

Team Falcons had a rocky start to the 2025 season, but peaked at the perfect time to win TI14. And instead of falling off the map as most TI winners do, they continued to soar at LAN events at the tail end of the year.

The MENA-backed squad is easily the best Dota 2 team in the world. They’re incredibly efficient at extracting gold every minute and choking the enemy team out of their resources. If Team Falcons builds up a sizable gold lead, it’s almost guaranteed they convert it into a victory.

What edges Team Falcons into the top spot of our rankings isn’t the Aegis of Champions, but rather the roster sticking together and growing into something magnificent. Since the Saudi Arabian organization signed its superteam on November 11, 2023, there have been no roster changes.

Team Falcons roster:

• Oliver “skiter” Lepko
• Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak
• Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf (Captain)
• Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen
• Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu
• Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling (Coach)

Fun fact: Coach Aui_2000 became the first person to lift the Aegis of Champions three times. Once with Evil Geniuses in 2015 as a player, once with Tundra Esports in 2022 as a coach, and in 2025 with Team Falcons.

Tundra Esports (#2)

Displaying utter dominance at the start of 2025 by making it to the Grand Final of the first four Tier 1 events (and winning the first two), there’s no denying that Tundra Esports is a top Dota 2 team.

You’ll find a list of significant achievements in chronological order below.

• 1st at FISSURE Playground 1
• 1st at BLAST Slam II
• 2nd at DreamLeague Season 25
• 2nd at PGL Wallachia Season 3
• 1st at BLAST Slam III
• 2nd at Clavision Masters 2025: Snow-Ruyi
• 1st at BLAST Slam IV
• 1st at BLAST Slam V

Tundra Esports had the most Tier 1 trophies in 2025, but what stopped them from collecting more was the numerous roster changes they made throughout the year. The team started the year with Anton “dyrachyo” Shkredov, and moved on to Remco “Crystallis” Arets, before welcoming back Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko.

The Western European squad had a lot of roster instability that prevented them from becoming the most dominant team of the year—not to mention that they had to play The International 2025 with a stand-in, leading to a disappointing 7th–8th finish. 

On top of welcoming Pure, Tundra also recruited Matthew “Ari” Walker, leading to subsequent wins at both BLAST Slam IV and V to finish off the year in style, becoming four-time BLAST Slam champions to end the year.

If the team maintains a stable roster, there’s no doubt they can achieve even greater heights this year.

Tundra Esports roster:

• Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko
• Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov
• Neta “33” Shapira (Captain)
• Matthew “Ari” Walker
• Matthew “Whitemon” Filemon
• David “MoonMeander” Tan (Coach)

Team Spirit (#3)

Having won the Esports World Cup, Team Spirit was the favorite to claim the Aegis of Champions. After all, Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk, Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov, and Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov were already two-time TI champions. However, the team fell apart at TI14, failing to reach the Playoffs.

The Eastern European squad lost a Group Stage elimination match to eventual champions Team Falcons. After this disappointing finish in Hamburg, legendary captain Miposhka announced he would take a break from competition, and Team Spirit added Nikita “panto” Balaganin as the new support and captain. 

Check out the squad’s list of significant achievements in chronological order below.

• 1st at DreamLeague Season 25
• 2nd at ESL One Raleigh 2025
• 1st at Esports World Cup 2025
• 2nd at FISSURE Universe: Episode 6
• 2nd at PGL Wallachia Season 6

Since Miposhka’s departure, Team Spirit hasn’t added any more trophies to their cabinet. However, the squad showed positive signs of a resurgence with a Grand Final appearance at PGL Wallachia Season 6.

Team Spirit roster:

• Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk
• Denis “Larl” Sigitov
• Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov
• Aleksandr “rue” Filin
• Nikita “panto” Balaganin (Captain)
• Airat “Silent” Gaziev (Coach)

PARIVISION (#4)

While PARIVISION topped the ESL Pro Tour leaderboard for the 2024/2025 season, it features only 2024 events and only ESL-hosted tournaments. This means the leaderboard alone does not hold enough weight for our holistic approach, considering all Tier 1 and Tier 2 events. 

With momentum from 2024, PARIVISION had a strong start to 2025, and narrowly missed out on Grand Final appearances at both the Esports World Cup and TI14. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t posted any strong results since September.

You’ll find a list of significant achievements in chronological order below.

• 1st at ESL One Raleigh 2025
• 2nd at PGL Wallachia Season 4
• 1st at DreamLeague Season 26
• 2nd at FISSURE Universe: Episode 5
• 3rd at Esports World Cup 2025
• 3rd at The International 2025

What’s more, PARIVISION didn’t make any player changes after their podium finish at TI14, showcasing confidence in the current players.

However, the team did make a huge shakeup after parting ways with coach Filipe “Astini” Ribeiro, who the community believed played a pivotal role in the team’s rise. The squad has since welcomed legendary Dota 2 player and captain, Clement “Puppey” Ivanov, who is entering coaching for the first time in his career.

Though Puppey is more than a capable replacement for Astini, PARIVISION started 2026 on the wrong foot, failing to qualify for BLAST Slam VI after getting upset by Natus Vincere in the Qualifier Finals. 

PARIVISION roster:

• Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov
• Volodymyr “No[o]ne-” Minenko
• Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin
• Edgar “9Class” Naltakian
• Andrey “Dukalis” Kuropatkin (Captain)

BetBoom Team (#5)

Filled to the brim with top CIS talent, BetBoom Team enjoyed a solid run last year. The squad won two Tier 1 trophies, reached four Grand Finals, and earned a highly respectable 4th place at TI14.

Check out the squad’s list of significant achievements in chronological order below.

• 1st at FISSURE Universe: Episode 4
• 2nd at DreamLeague Season 26
• 1st at PGL Wallachia Season 5
• 4th at The International 2025
• 2nd at FISSURE Playground 2

During the post-TI roster shuffle, BetBoom Team lost prolific carry player Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko to Tundra Esports. The squad quickly adapted with their new carry, Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov, placing 2nd at FISSURE Playground 2, while taking out the likes of Team Liquid and Team Spirit along the way.

Though the team is stacked with mechanical geniuses, the main player who propelled the BetBoom Team to the top is Danil “gpk” Skutin. He was easily one of the best Dota 2 midlaners in 2025, and it’s exciting to see what he can bring this year. 

BetBoom Team roster:

• Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov
• Danil “gpk” Skutin
• Matvey “MieRo” Vasyunin
• Vitalie “Save-” Melnic (Captain)
• Vladislav “Kataomi`” Semenov
• Roman “rmN-” Paley (Coach)

Dota 2 Team Rankings Explained

While one should never underestimate the importance of winning at TI, it’s not all about who lifts the Aegis of Champions. Yes, the results and final standings of the iconic, annual event do carry significant weight—but we dug much deeper.

To create our Dota 2 team rankings, we took a holistic approach, factoring in performances in all Tier 1 and Tier 2 events. We further considered how many Grand Finals the squads reached, matchup histories, the impact of the post-TI roster shuffle, and included our expert’s opinion for good measure. 

These rankings were created without Dota 2 MMR leaderboards for individual players, since their personal scores on public matches have no significant bearing on esports. 

Honorable Mentions: More Top Dota 2 Teams

Considering what factors determine the best Dota 2 teams for us, the TI14 finalists, Xtreme Gaming, didn’t make it to our top five. Despite having moments of brilliance, 2025 simply wasn’t the year of resurgence for Chinese Dota. 

Here are some honorable mentions, in no particular order:

• Team Yandex: Since Martin “Saksa” Sazdov joined the roster, Team Yandex turned from a top 20 team to a title contender, making deep runs at multiple events before winning DreamLeague Season 27, the final Tier 1 tournament of 2025. 
• MOUZ: A team that formed after TI14, MOUZ has been on a tear lately, taking down top-tier opponents left and right. The squad would consistently make deep runs in tournaments and even bagged the PGL Wallachia Season 6 trophy. 
• Xtreme Gaming: The Chinese juggernauts finished second at TI14 and immediately went all-in for the 2026 competitive season, signing big names such as Xu “Fy” Linsen and Cheng “NothingToSay” Jin Xiang.
• Team Liquid: The new Team Liquid lineup features two members of the successful Gaimin Gladiators roster. With such a big change, the team is still finding their footing, but can be a major threat once everything clicks.

FAQs

Who Is The Best Team In Dota 2?

It was a close call between Team Falcons and Tundra Esports for the best Dota 2 team in 2026—but we went with the former, Team Falcons.

What Factors Determine The Best Dota 2 Teams?

Placements at Tier 1 and Tier 2 events throughout the year and performance after the post-TI roster shuffle. LAN events carry more weight than online-only events.

Which Dota 2 Team Has The Most Wins?

Tundra Esports had the most Tier 1 Dota 2 event wins (5), and made it to the Grand Final of another three tournaments.

Who Won The International 2025?

Team Falcons won The International 2025, beating Xtreme Gaming with a score of 3-2 in the best-of-five slugfest for the Aegis of Champions.

Which Dota 2 Team Will Dominate 2026?

It’s unlikely that Team Falcons or Tundra Esports will just fall apart, and Team Spirit could return to form. Our bold prediction is that OG could rise through the ranks into the top five if the dramatic roster change pays off.

References

1. TUNDRA on X (X)
2. EPT SEASON 2024-2025 LEADERBOARD (ESL Pro Tour)
3. PARIVISION on X (X)