Team Yandex win PGL Wallachia Season 9 over NAVI
Team Yandex defeated NAVI 3-0 in the PGL Wallachia Season 9 grand final, won $300,000 and completed the tournament without losing a series.
September 28, 202604:50 AM
BLAST SLAM VIII Starts September 29: Schedule, Teams and Format
**BLAST SLAM VIII** begins on September 29, 2026, with 16 Dota 2 teams competing for a combined $750,000 prize pool. Team Spirit, PARIVISION, NAVI, Team Yandex, BetBoom Team and Team Liquid are among the field, while the final six teams will eventually travel to Malta for the LAN Finals.
The opening stage runs online from September 29 through October 3. BLAST has moved away from the previous Best-of-1 opening format: all group-stage series will now be played as Best-of-3s across four GSL groups.
BLAST SLAM VIII Schedule and Start Times
The first matches begin at 10:00 UTC on September 29. PARIVISION face Level UP on Stream A, while Team Spirit play Team Nemesis at the same time on Stream B.
Who wins?
All MatchesFree Today BLAST SLAM VIII
Tomorrow 19:00
Aurora GamingGamerLegion
Free for everyone · factor breakdownPrediction: Aurora Gaming
68%32%BLAST SLAM VIII
Tomorrow 13:00
PARIVISIONLevel Up
For North American readers, the opening slot is 6:00 a.m. ET / 3:00 a.m. PT. In the UK and Ireland, it starts at 11:00 a.m. BST.
| Date | Time (UTC) | Match | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 29 | 10:00 | PARIVISION vs Level UP | A |
| September 29 | 10:00 | Team Spirit vs Team Nemesis | B |
| September 29 | 13:00 | LGD vs Xtreme Gaming | A |
| September 29 | 13:00 | 1win vs NAVI | B |
| September 29 | 16:00 | Team Liquid vs Yakult Brothers | D |
| September 29 | 16:00 | Aurora Gaming vs GamerLegion | D |
| September 30 | 10:00 | Team Yandex vs MOUZ | C |
| September 30 | 10:00 | BetBoom Team vs OG | C |
From there, the bracket starts reacting to results. Group A and Group B winners and elimination matches follow later on September 30, with the complete GSL structure determining which teams move into the seeding and Last Chance stages.
The opening day puts several of the most recognizable names on the server immediately. Team Spirit and PARIVISION, the two finalists from The International 2026, both start in the first time slot.
BLAST SLAM VIII Teams and Groups
The 16 teams are divided into four groups:
Group A: PARIVISION, Level UP, LGD, Xtreme Gaming
Group B: Team Spirit, Team Nemesis, 1win, NAVI
Group C: Team Yandex, MOUZ, BetBoom Team, OG
Group D: Team Liquid, Yakult Brothers, Aurora Gaming, GamerLegion
BLAST has confirmed all 16 participants and published the tournament rosters ahead of the event.
Each group uses a GSL format, with every match played as a Bo3. Group winners advance to seeding matches. The four second-place teams enter the Last Chance stage, while the remaining teams are eliminated.
That structure leaves six teams standing for the LAN portion of BLAST SLAM VIII.
Format, Malta Finals and Prize Pool
The online group stage runs from September 29 to October 3 on European servers. The final six teams then move to the BLAST Arena Studios in Malta, where the LAN Finals take place from October 8 to 11.
The Malta stage uses a six-team double-elimination bracket. The two highest seeds start in the Upper Bracket Semifinals, and the tournament ends with a Best-of-5 Grand Final on October 11.
BLAST lists a combined $750,000 prize pool, consisting of $550,000 in prize money and $200,000 in team earnings.
As of September 28, BLAST has not yet listed the final broadcast channels on its tournament page. The official BLAST SLAM VIII page remains the primary place to check for streaming information once those links are published.
No warm-up round, then. Six Bo3 series are scheduled on opening day alone, with Spirit, PARIVISION, NAVI and Liquid all in action before the first 24 hours are over.
