Dota 2 TI15 prize pool - What is The International 2026's prize pool amount?

Michael Hassall Published 12/08/2026

The International is the most prestigious Dota 2 event of the year, the pinnacle of the game, and for many years, the highest prize pool in all of esports. But is TI15 following the same pattern? For many years TI was a crowd-funded prize pool with tens of millions of dollars on the line, but has dropped significantly since then.

Since Valve’s decision to shift away from the battle pass (a concept they invented) and instead focus more on other events, the prize pool has lowered considerably. Still one of the largest on the calendar, the total amount now numbers in the range of a few million, rather than the peak of over $40 million USD.

But what is the prize pool this year for Dota 2’s TI15?

Dota 2 The International 2026 (TI15) Prize Pool

At the time of writing, the TI15 Prize Pool is $2,873,051.

That figure comes from a combination of the $1,600,000 contributed directly by Valve and the 30% of all supporters packs. Supporters packs are special in-game items in Dota 2 that allow players to showcase their support for individual teams. A reported 50% of each sale goes directly to the teams, 30% to the prize pool, and 20% to Valve.

The prize pool will continue to rise throughout the event as users continue to buy supporters packs. The cut off for purchases is usually the final day of TI (in this case, August 23, 2026).

At TI14, Team Falcons won $1,224,732 of the $2,881,791 prize pool. Image credit: Valve.

Dota 2 The International Prize Pool History

Tournament	Full Prize Pool
The International 2011	$1,600,000
The International 2012	$1,600,000
The International 2013	$2,874,380
The International 2014	$10,923,977
The International 2015	$18,429,613
The International 2016	$20,770,460
The International 2017	$24,787,916
The International 2018	$25,532,177
The International 2019	$34,330,068
The International 2021	$40,018,195
The International 2022	$18,930,775
The International 2023	$3,380,455
The International 2024	$2,776,566
The International 2025	$2,881,791

The International’s prize pool began by setting records, and only grew from there. The inaugural edition of TI in 2011 had a $1,600,000 prize pool, at the time the largest prize in all of esports. This unprecedented amount attracted attention as it was also the first official tournament for Dota 2 and the debut of the game on the competitive stage.

The prize remained the same for the second edition. But in 2013 for TI3 Valve flipped the script by creating something that would transform both The International and gaming forever: The Battle Pass. Initially known as the Compendium, TI’s prize pool would now receive a base amount from Valve of $1,600,000 (a figure that has remained the same throughout TI’s lifespan), and the remainder from crowd-funding by purchases in the Compendium.

The Compendium

The Compendium, later renamed the Battle Pass, had levels which could be earned by playing games or, more often, by purchasing them. Each level granted unlockables in-game, from Hero skins to map styles, and at the highest levels, highly coveted Arcana-tier skins.

The first TI with a battle pass increased the prize pool to $2,874,380: A big leap, but nothing revolutionary. The second TI with a battle pass TI4 changed everything. Breaking the eight figure barrier, the prize pool jumped to $10,923,977, and looked like it would never come down. In subsequent years it broke 15 million, then 20 million, and finally 25 million, before plateauing.

Breaking records

With the prize pool comfortably around 25 million, it seemed like that was the largest a TI, and indeed an esports prize pool would ever get. Luckily for Valve, pro players, and the record books, another game stepped in to try and wear that crown: Fortnite.

The battle royale was riding a wave of popularity in 2019. With over 125 million players, and many calling it the most popular game in the world, Fortnite publishers Epic Games tried to enter the record books with the most lucrative esports prize pool in history. The Fortnite World Cup 2019 had $30 million dollars on the line ($15 million for the solo competition, and $15 million for duos), and the event instantly became the largest in history.

While Valve might have been content to lose Dota’s record, Dota players had other ideas. With the Fortnite World Cup taking place in July 2019, the record for the biggest esports prize pool of all time stood for just one month before being surpassed by TI9’s $34,330,068 total prize in August that same year. The battle pass saw record numbers of purchases, and while some of it was definitely for the incredible rewards within the Compendium, the competitiveness of Dota 2 fans can’t be discounted as a reason why Fortnite was dethroned.

Covid and the peak

While almost 35 million dollars seemed like the upper limit, in 2020 things got even crazier thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and huge number of people returning to Dota 2. With TI10 initially postponed for 2020, it returned with a vengeance in 2021. Moved originally from Sweden to Romania, and then held without an audience, the only way for fans to interact with TI10 after a year and a half of the pandemic was through the battle pass.

Players went crazy in this super-sized battle pass that ran for longer than any other before it. With new and previous Arcanas up for grabs, and boatloads of new content, even if you weren’t a fan of Dota 2 competitive it was one of the best ways to enjoy and experience Dota 2. And the result: A record $40,018,195 prize pool, to date, the largest prize for an individual game and event in all of esports.

Team Spirit (pictured) won TI during both the highest ever prize pool, and the first prize pool after the end of the battle pass. Image credit: Valve.

The decline

The prize pools slipped after this. In 2022 the prize was just over 18 million, less than half of the previous. For Tundra Esports, the winners of this TI, it must have seemed like a disappointing result. After this, things changed dramatically. In 2023, Valve announced it would be moving away from the battle pass system so the team could focus more on in-game events and patches.

TI would remain crowd-funded, but now by supporters packs. The in-game events initially didn’t come, and fans were seemingly alarmed by being short changed. But after the huge New Frontiers update that expanded the size of the map in 2023, massive event Crownfall which spanned from Summer 2024 until the start of 2025, and now Dark Carnival in 2026, Valve has largely followed through on its Dota 2 promises.

Prize pools for TI continued to fall since the announcement. The first TI without a true battle pass, in 2023, had a prize pool of just $3,380,455. It fell further the next year, but has now stabilized. On average the prize pool remains around 2.8 to 3 million dollars each year.

Trying to claim the record

Other games and events have claimed to be the most lucrative prize pool in esports since then, such as Riyadh Masters and the Esports World Cup. In 2023, Riyadh Masters had a $15,000,000 prize pool, dwarfing the TI prize. By 2024, they’d dropped to $4 million, still bigger than TI, but falling in significance. In 2026 the prize for the Dota 2 portion of EWC was just $2,000,000, less than TI.

The EWC often claims to be the largest prize pool in esports, but the seven-week, 24-game event splits its $75 million dollar prize pool across every game, meaning Dota 2 still holds the record for the most lucrative individual game prize pool in all of esports. And unless another game is willing to offer $41 million dollars for a single game, it will remain as such.

Featured Image Credit: Valve.

Michael Hassall

About Michael Hassall

Michael is a eight-year veteran of the games writing space, but has being playing them for as long as he can remember. With bylines across the internet, he’s used his expertise to cover esports, prediction markets, mainstream gaming, streamers, and more besides.

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