LGD and 1win Complete BLAST Slam VIII Playoffs as OG Fall at the Last Hurdle; Malta Bracket Revealed
LGD and 1win won their Last Chance matches 2-1, knocking out GamerLegion and OG. The six-team Dota 2 playoffs start in Malta on 8 October.
The six-team field for the BLAST Slam VIII playoffs in Malta is set. Over the weekend, LGD Gaming and 1win Team came through the Last Chance stage, each winning 2-1. OG and GamerLegion were knocked out. With the bracket now out, the first Tier 1 Dota 2 event since The International 2026 moves to the BLAST Arena Studios in Malta from 8 to 11 October.
Last Chance: two 2-1 thrillers
The group runners-up met in the Last Chance stage for the final two playoff places.
- LGD Gaming 2-1 GamerLegion: LGD bounced back from a 0-2 loss to PARIVISION in Group A. GamerLegion had knocked out Team Liquid, which includes Malaysia's MidOne, in Group D.
- 1win Team 2-1 OG: OG's exit means Topson, who rejoined the club for the new season, misses the Malta playoffs. 1win had finished second in Group B behind Team Spirit.
Group stage winners
Four teams topped their groups and are going to Malta:
- Group A: PARIVISION. They beat Level Up and LGD Gaming, both 2-0.
- Group B: Team Spirit. They beat Team Nemesis 2-1 and 1win 2-0.
- Group C: Team Yandex. They swept MOUZ and BetBoom Team, both 2-0.
- Group D: Aurora. They beat GamerLegion 2-0, then Team Liquid 2-1.
Team Yandex arrive in good form. They swept NAVI 3-0 to win PGL Wallachia Season 9 just before BLAST Slam began.
The Malta bracket
The playoffs are double elimination. Every series is best-of-three except the grand final, which is best-of-five.
Upper-bracket quarter-finals:
- Team Yandex vs LGD Gaming
- Aurora vs 1win Team
Upper-bracket semi-finals:
- PARIVISION vs the winner of Yandex vs LGD
- Team Spirit vs the winner of Aurora vs 1win
PARIVISION and Spirit go straight into the upper semi-finals. Even so, double elimination gives every team in Malta at least two matches.
Malaysian angle: MidOne's early exit
Malaysian fans will be disappointed that MidOne is not in Malta. He joined Team Liquid as a stand-in for this event, and they lost 1-2 to Aurora and then 0-2 to GamerLegion in Group D. Southeast Asia has no team left in the playoffs.
What to watch
- Can Yandex keep their run going? A PGL Wallachia title and a clean group make them one of the favourites, but LGD will be confident after their Last Chance win.
- PARIVISION vs Spirit: The two top seeds are on opposite sides of the upper bracket, so they could meet in the upper final.
- LGD's run: LGD are the only Chinese team left, and they showed resilience to beat GamerLegion.
BLAST Slam VIII has a US$750,000 prize pool.
Key takeaways
- LGD Gaming beat GamerLegion 2-1 and 1win Team beat OG 2-1 to complete the BLAST Slam VIII playoff field.
- The six teams in Malta are PARIVISION, Team Spirit, Team Yandex, Aurora, LGD Gaming and 1win Team.
- Upper quarter-finals: Yandex vs LGD and Aurora vs 1win. PARIVISION and Spirit wait in the semi-finals.
- The playoffs run from 8 to 11 October at BLAST Arena Studios, Malta. The grand final is best-of-five.
FAQ
When are the BLAST Slam VIII playoffs? They run from 8 to 11 October 2026 at BLAST Arena Studios in Malta.
Is MidOne playing at BLAST Slam VIII in Malta? No. MidOne's stand-in team, Team Liquid, were eliminated in the group stage after losing to Aurora and GamerLegion.
Who is missing from the Malta playoffs? OG (with Topson), GamerLegion, Team Liquid, NAVI, BetBoom Team and MOUZ are among the teams eliminated.
Sources: Esports Insider, Hotspawn, TechTimes