Valve changed The International 2026 rules after the Gaimin Gladiators scandal

Valve updated the participation rules for The International 2026, now including requirements for fair treatment of players and new tournament regulations.

This was reported on the official website of the game

To take part in the tournament teams need to register via the link before May 19.

Under the new rules, first the manager submits the application and creates the team, after that each player must join it on their own.

Also during registration a team representative must sign a participation agreement. This document obligates the team and all players to follow certain rules, including fair play and equal treatment of all participants.

It is likely that these changes came as a result of the scandal with Gaimin Gladiators canceling their trip to a tournament, which caused a lot of reaction in the Dota 2 community.