Fantasy-style prediction contests usually just ask who wins. 1xBet's TI 2026 Pick'em asks for a full ranking of 16 Dota 2 teams across The International 2026, and pairs that prediction with a completely separate ticket system earned from real match betting — running two independent prize draws at the same moment, one weighted by prediction accuracy and one by betting volume.
Building the Prediction
The prediction covers every position from 1st to 16th, but not every slot works the same way:
| Slot | Teams to Position | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 team | Exact position |
| 2nd | 1 team | Exact position |
| 3rd | 1 team | Exact position |
| 4th | 1 team | Exact position |
| 5th–6th | 2 teams | Correct range, any order |
| 7th–8th | 2 teams | Correct range, any order |
| 9th–16th | 8 teams | Correct range, any order |
That's 16 teams placed in total — 4 into individual exact positions, and 12 more into three broader ranges where only landing in the right range matters, not the exact order within it. A "Random" button can fill the whole prediction automatically, but answers can only be edited before the prediction is saved — once saved, they're locked in.
Confirming the Prediction
Saving a prediction doesn't submit it on its own — it has to be confirmed with a real bet of at least 5 USD on any esports event: a single bet at odds of 1.5 or higher, or an accumulator with 2 or more selections at odds of 1.4 or higher, with at least one selection on an esports event. That confirming bet doesn't need to touch The International 2026 itself; any qualifying esports bet works.
The deadline trap. Both the prediction and its confirming bet have to be finalized by 12 August 2026, 23:59 +3 UTC — but the terms are specific that the prediction is only considered confirmed once the confirming bet actually settles, not merely once it's placed. A bet placed at 23:00 on the deadline day that doesn't settle until after midnight means the prediction never gets confirmed, and no runes are credited at all for that prediction — even if every single guess would have turned out correct.
A quick reward for saving fast. Saving a full prediction within 24 hours of the promotion opening earns an automatic 1 USD free bet, credited within 24 hours of saving — separate entirely from prediction accuracy. That free bet isn't immediately usable, though: it requires making an additional deposit of 5 USD or more to activate, after which it must be wagered in an accumulator of 3 or more selections at odds of 1.5 or higher, within 7 days.
Runes: How Correct Predictions Are Scored
Every one of the 16 team placements is scored independently, earning 5 runes for each one that turns out correct — whether that's an exact match on one of the four individual positions, or simply landing in the right range for the twelve grouped slots. With 16 total placements at 5 runes each, the maximum from correct predictions alone is 80 runes, and getting all 16 right adds a further 10-rune bonus, for a maximum possible total of 90 runes.
Worked example. A participant gets 2 of the 4 individual positions correct (10 runes), 1 of the 2 teams in the 5th–6th range correct (5 runes), both teams in the 7th–8th range correct (10 runes), and 5 of the 8 teams in the 9th–16th range correct (25 runes). That's 10 correct placements total, for 50 runes.
Free Bets Based on Correct Predictions
Separately from runes, the number of correct placements also determines a free bet calculated as a percentage of the stake used to confirm the prediction:
| Correct Placements | Free Bet |
|---|---|
| 1 – 3 | 20% of confirming bet's stake |
| 4 – 5 | 30% of confirming bet's stake |
| 6 – 15 | 40% of confirming bet's stake |
| All 16 | 50% of confirming bet's stake |
Continuing the worked example. The participant above had 10 correct placements — landing in the 6–15 bracket for a 40% rate. If their confirming bet staked 20 USD, the resulting free bet is 40% of 20 USD, or 8 USD, credited on 1 September 2026 regardless of how the confirming bet itself settled.
Reaching the cap. The maximum free bet from this mechanic is 100 USD. A participant who gets all 16 placements correct (the 50% tier) and confirmed their prediction with a 200 USD bet would receive exactly 100 USD — the cap — since 50% of 200 is 200, but the payout can never exceed 100 regardless of how large the confirming stake was.
This free bet must also be wagered in a 3-or-more-selection accumulator at odds of 1.5 or higher, valid for 7 days from being credited. If the calculated amount comes out below 0.50 USD, it isn't credited at all.
The Ticket System: A Separate Track From Predictions
Entirely apart from predictions and runes, real bets placed on actual The International 2026 matches earn tickets based on stake size:
| Stake (USD) | Tickets |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 3 |
| 10 | 10 |
| 20 | 25 |
| 40 | 60 |
| 60 | 90 |
| 100 | 180 |
| 200 | 380 |
| 400 | 800 |
| Over 450 | 1,000 |
A participant with zero interest in the prediction game entirely can still take part in the ticket-based draw just by betting on TI 2026 matches directly, and a participant fully invested in the prediction game can still separately build a ticket total through ordinary match betting on the side.
Two Prize Draws, Two Different Pools
Both draws happen on the same day — 1 September 2026, 16:00 +3 UTC — but pull from entirely different pools:
Prize Draw 1 (rune-based). Winners are drawn from the pool of individual runes earned for correct predictions — meaning a participant with 90 runes has proportionally far more chances than one with only 15, since the draw pulls from runes themselves rather than treating each participant as one equal entry. Prizes include five tiers of Dota 2 cosmetic items (Crimson Unbroken Fealty for 5 winners, down to Mace of Aeons for 25 winners) plus free bet promo codes at 15/10/5 USD for 50/100/200 winners respectively.
Prize Draw 2 (ticket-based). Winners are drawn from tickets earned through real match betting on TI 2026, following the same structure: five tiers of different Dota 2 cosmetics (Honey Heist Baby Roshan for 5 winners, down to Dragonclaw Hook for 25 winners) plus the identical 15/10/5 USD free bet tiers at 50/100/200 winners.
A participant can win only one prize per draw, but winning in one of the two draws doesn't exclude them from the other — someone could realistically win a cosmetic item in the rune draw and a promo code in the ticket draw on the same day.
Risks Worth Knowing Before Saving a Prediction
If the list of participating teams in The International 2026 changes after a prediction has been saved — a team dropping out and being replaced, for instance — the saved prediction cannot be edited to swap in the new team. Any slot occupied by a team that's no longer competing is effectively locked into an incorrect answer for the rest of the promotion, with no way to recover it.
Eligibility and Fair-Use Rules
Participants need a complete profile — full name, an activated mobile number, email address, and city and country of residence — and must opt in to bonus offers in Account Settings before pressing "Take part." The offer is limited to one participant per account, family, IP address, household, and PC. 1xBet reserves the right to review transaction records for strategies it considers abusive and reclaim the bonus if it finds them, to request KYC documents or photo/video identity verification at any time, and to amend, cancel, or renew the offer at any time without prior notice.