Sixteen Teams Will Start PGL Wallachia in Bucharest on Saturday Without Team Spirit Liquid or BetBoom
Several leading organisations have still not confirmed new Dota 2 line-ups after The International, leaving the field short of familiar names.
Sixteen teams will begin PGL Wallachia Season 9 at PGL Studios in Bucharest on 19 September 2026, competing for a prize pool of 1 million dollars at the first significant Dota 2 tournament of the new competitive season.
The event runs until 27 September and uses a Swiss format group stage, in which matches are played as best of three series until a team records three wins or three losses, followed by a double elimination playoff bracket. The grand final is a best of five.
The confirmed field is 1win, Aurora Gaming, Conventus Stellarum, GamerLegion, Hokori, LGD Gaming, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Pibbles, Pipsqueak and Four, Playtime, Team Cobra, Team Nemesis, Team Yandex, Xtreme Gaming and Yakult Brothers.
Several of the sport's most prominent organisations are absent. Hotspawn reported on 16 September that Team Spirit, Team Liquid, PARIVISION and BetBoom had yet to confirm new rosters following The International, while Team Falcons disbanded their Dota 2 squad earlier in the month after finishing seventh to eighth at the world championship.
The tournament therefore doubles as a first look at the post International reshuffle. Team Yandex, who finished third at The International, will field a rebuilt line-up in Bucharest, and matches are being streamed on Twitch and YouTube throughout the nine day run.