Dota 2 fans have noticed a conspicuous name pop up as The International has gotten underway, with retired legend of the game Topson playing with LGD Gaming at TI 2026.
But why is the Finnish star back in action, why is he playing with LGD, and what’s coming next? We have the answers here.
Why Topson is playing for LGD Gaming at The International
Topson stepped in to play for LGD Gaming at The International 2026 after LGD mid-laner TaiLung was banned from TI 15 for a violation of competitive integrity standards. In effect, TaiLung was banned for match-fixing.
The decision came down just days before the start of TI 15, leaving LGD scrambling for a solution. The team had just managed to qualify for The International through the South American regional qualifier, and the mixed South American side was set to represent one of China’s biggest names in esports at the tournament in Shanghai.
The loss of prodigious mid-laner TaiLung was a massive blow. But LGD made perhaps the best pivot it possibly could have given the situation, bringing in retired star mid-laner Topson.
Topson is no stranger to making a sudden appearance at TI, having done so multiple times prior to this stand-in appearance with LGD Gaming. His debut at The International came as a result of his being recruited to OG only shortly before that year’s regional qualifiers, only for he and his OG teammates to win the tournament and lift the Aegis.
At the following year’s TI, he and his teammates at OG would yet again lift the trophy as the tournament’s winning team, making Topson one of the first two-time winners in TI history.
He made another short-notice return prior to TI in 2023, playing with Tundra Esports. While the side wasn’t able to achieve much success at that event, Topson stuck with Tundra through the following year’s TI, where they placed a very respectable third.
LGD will be hoping that Topson can bring a similar magic to the South American side as he joined just a matter of hours prior to the event getting underway. Early returns were positive, with LGD narrowly losing its opening series to top contender Team Falcons before recovering to defeat Team Resilience. But there’s a long way to go yet.
As for what comes after TI 2026, it’s unlikely that Topson will remain with LGD, but anything’s possible. The Finnish player has remained in top shape through ranked play online, and while that’s not directly equitable to organized tournament play, Topson is as qualified as anyone to hop back into the hot seat on a moment’s notice.
TaiLung responds to match-fixing accusations
Meanwhile, now-former LGD mid-laner TaiLung finally spoke out publicly about his ban from TI over match-fixing. His statement confirmed that match-fixing was indeed at the center of the “competitive integrity” ban, though he claimed innocence.
While under investigation, TaiLung apparently receive a text message that seemed to be inquiring about potential match-fixing activity. He denied understanding the context behind the message, though he provided no hard evidence to support his claim of innocence.
His claim runs counter to the official findings of both PGL and the LGD Gaming esports organization, who coordinated in deciding that the player was in violation of competitive integrity standards.
Dota 2 fans have taken the investigation into their own hands since the accusation of match-fixing went public, with numerous games having been flagged for suspicious play and behavior on the part of TaiLung. While circumstantial, some of the plays cited were certainly suspect at best for a player of TaiLung’s caliber.
Other members of LGD have won further respect from fans as a result of the incident, with it coming out that TaiLung had reportedly encouraged teammates to work with him in fixing games, only to be denied.
TaiLung’s ban notably includes not only this edition of The International, but all future PGL events. PGL is the official organizer of The International, the biggest tournament on the annual Dota 2 calendar.
