All-Filipino OG books The International return

MANILA, Philippines — OG's decision to rebuild around an all-Filipino roster has delivered its biggest result yet as the two-time The International (TI) champion qualified for The International 2026 after defeating Grind Back, 3-1, in the grand finals of the Southeast Asia qualifier.

The victory secured Southeast Asia's lone TI slot and ended a four-year absence from Dota 2's biggest tournament for the storied organization, which last appeared at TI 2022.

The qualification marks a significant milestone in OG's first season competing in Southeast Asia after the organization made the surprise move to relocate from Europe and field an all-Filipino lineup.

When OG announced its move to Southeast Asia in November last year, the organization described it as a new chapter for the team after years of competing in Europe. The roster immediately generated interest among Filipino fans, bringing together some of the country's most accomplished Dota 2 players under one of the game's most recognizable brands.

The team showed promise throughout the season, recording several strong international results, including a top-four finish at Blast Slam VI. However, qualification for TI remained the organization's primary objective.

OG entered the Southeast Asia qualifier with a stacked roster of top Filipino players: John Anthony "Natsumi-" Vargas, Erin Jasper "Yopaj" Ferrer, Marc Polo Luis "Raven" Fausto, Timothy "TIMS" Randrup and Rolen Andre Gabriel "Skem" Ong. They were considered as one of the tournament favorites to secure the lone slot for TI for the SEA qualifiers.

The Filipinos began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Interactive Philippines before eliminating GLYPH in the upper bracket semifinals with another 2-0 sweep. They then defeated REKONIX, 2-1, in the upper-bracket final to secure a place in the grand final.

Waiting for them was Grind Back, a team that emerged from the Open Qualifiers and eliminated several contenders, including Carstensz Esports, GLYPH, Execration and REKONIX, on the way to the championship series. It would also see Nikko "Force" Bilocura up against his former teammates as Bilocura was part of the debut all Filipino OG team last year.

Despite dropping the opening game of the final, OG was able to immediately regrouped and bring themselves to a 2-1 series lead. In the fourth game that almost hit the 70-minute mark, OG was finally able to close out the series and secure their return to the TI stage.

The International 2026 will be held in Shanghai, China from August 13-23, marking OG's first appearance at the world championship since 2022. The event will also see the organization return to the city, where it won its second Aegis of Champions in 2019.