The International 2016/Main Qualifiers

For China, Europe, and Southeast Asia

 * Group Stage
 * 10 teams in one group, played in a round-robin format.
 * Eight invited teams.
 * Two teams qualified through the Open Qualifiers
 * All matches are played best-of-one.
 * The top team qualifies to The International 2016.
 * Second through fifth place teams advance to the Playoffs.
 * Tiebreakers: Head-to-head, then best-of-one round robin, then time rating on the round robin.
 * Playoffs
 * Four teams compete in a double-elimination bracket.
 * All matches are played best-of-three. Grand Final is best-of-five.
 * The winning team qualifies to The International 2016.
 * The runner-up qualifies to The International 2016 Wild Card.

For Americas

 * Group Stage
 * 7 teams in one group, played in a round-robin format.
 * Five invited teams.
 * Two teams qualified through the Open Qualifiers
 * All matches are played best-of-one.
 * The top team qualifies to The International 2016.
 * Second through fifth place teams advance to the Playoffs.
 * Tiebreakers: Head-to-head, then best-of-one round robin, then time rating on the round robin.
 * Playoffs
 * Four teams compete in a double-elimination bracket.
 * All matches are played best-of-three. Grand Final is best-of-five.
 * The winning team qualifies to The International 2016.
 * The runner-up qualifies to The International 2016 Wild Card.