BLAST SLAM 8 starts on September 29, 2026, bringing 16 Dota 2 teams into the first Tier 1 tournament since The International 2026 wrapped up. The event carries a $750,000 prize pool and runs through October 11, with the LAN playoffs set for BLAST Arena Studios in Malta from October 8 to 11. This article covers every qualified team, the full format, and where you can watch the matches live.
Several rosters changed hands after Team Falcons announced their exit from the Dota 2 scene following TI 14. That shakeup put teams built around former Falcons players under the spotlight this time around. Team Yandex is one to watch after a strong showing at PGL Wallachia Season 9, especially in matchups against PARIVISION, who kept the same five players that competed at TI 15.
BLAST SLAM 8 Teams and Rosters
16 teams from multiple regions will compete for the trophy. Here is the full list of squads and their lineups:
| Team | Carry | Midlane | Offlane | Soft Support | Hard Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARIVISION | Satanic | No[o]ne- | Noticed | 9Class | Dukalis |
| BetBoom Team | Kiritych~ | Save- | MieRo | swedenstrong | Kataomi` |
| GamerLegion | Timado | RCY | Fayde | Bignum | Speeed |
| Team Nemesis | JaCkky | Ken | Jabz | Jhocam | NARMAN |
| Team Spirit | Yatoro | Larl | Batyuk | not me | rue |
| 1w Team | Pure | bzm | 33 | Ari | Whitemon |
| MOUZ | 423 | Supream^ | BOOM | mrls | MoOz |
| Team Yandex | watson | CHIRA_JUNIOR | ATF | Saksa | Malady |
| LGD Gaming | Wits | SumaiL- | Davai | Thiolicor | Sneyking |
| Natus Vincere | gotthejuice | Niku | pma | daze | Riddys |
| Team Liquid | miCKe | MidOne | Wisper | Boxi | tOfu |
| Xtreme Gaming | Ame | Setsu | Zeal | XinQ | BoBoKa |
| Level UP | WoE | Ainkrad | bb3px | queezy | Htrd |
| Aurora Gaming | skiter | Mikoto | Ws | Mira | kaori |
| OG | Natsumi | Topson | SSS | OneJey | skem |
| Yakult Brothers | Lou | Emo | Beyond | kaka | 天命 |
BLAST SLAM 8 Format Explained
The tournament runs across the group stage, seeding matches, last chance, and playoffs. Every stage decides who moves forward, so there is no easy path for any of the 16 teams.
Group stage: The 16 teams split into four groups (A, B, C, D), each playing a best-of-three round robin. The group winner locks in a playoff spot but still has to compete in the seeding matches to earn a good bracket position. The runner-up in each group heads to the last chance round instead. The bottom two teams in every group are out.
Seeding matches: This stage decides where the four group winners land in the playoff bracket. Two matches are played. Winners go straight into the upper bracket semifinals. Losers drop to the upper bracket quarterfinals.
Last chance: The four group runners-up play best-of-three series here. Winners advance to the upper bracket quarterfinals. Losers are eliminated from the tournament.
Playoffs: The final stage is a double-elimination bracket. A team that loses in the upper bracket gets a second shot through the lower bracket. Every series is best-of-three except the grand final, which is a best-of-five.
BLAST SLAM 8 Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level UP | 1w Team | BetBoom Team | Aurora Gaming |
| LGD Gaming | Natus Vincere | MOUZ | GamerLegion |
| PARIVISION | Team Nemesis | OG | Team Liquid |
| Xtreme Gaming | Team Spirit | Team Yandex | Yakult Brothers |
The group stage begins on September 29, 2026, and the tournament runs through October 11. The LAN playoffs take place from October 8 to 11 at BLAST Arena Studios in Malta, in front of a live crowd. Group standings and bracket results were not yet available at the time of writing. We will keep this section updated as matches are completed.
