BLAST SLAM VIII would be the first Tier 1 event of the 2026-2027 aggressive Dota 2 season.
The eighth version of BLAST’s Dota 2 event sequence, BLAST Slam VIII, will formally open the curtains on top-tier competitors for the 2026-2027 season. The event will function 16 groups competing for a US$750,000 prize pool, operating from 29 September to 11 October.
A few of the taking part groups already made their aggressive season debuts on the recently-concluded PGL Wallachia Season 9, the place 
Team Yandex claimed the crown. Nonetheless, the motion is prone to be way more intense at BLAST Slam VIII, the primary Tier 1 occasion of the brand new season. The event will function The International (TI) 2026 champions and three-time title holders 
Team Spirit, alongside powerhouse 
PARIVISION, the runners-up of TI 2026.
BLAST Slam VIII can even be troublesome to foretell, with many newly formed rosters set to make their debuts. Listed here are all of the groups competing at BLAST Slam VIII, together with among the greatest storylines to look at.
All groups taking part in BLAST Slam VIII
In BLAST Slam VIII, 12 groups obtained direct invitations, whereas the remaining 4 certified via regional qualifiers. Listed here are all of the individuals:
- PARIVISION
- Team Spirit
- Team Yandex
Team Liquid
Aurora Gaming
BetBoom Team
1W Team
LGD Gaming
Xtreme Gaming
OG
GamerLegion
MOUZ
Natus Vincere (1st/2nd in Europe qualifier)
Level UP (1st/2nd in Europe qualifier)
Yakult Brothers (1st in China qualifier)
Team Nemesis (1st in Southeast Asia qualifier)
The most important storylines to sit up for in BLAST Slam VIII
Three favourites of BLAST Slam VIII
Staff Spirit had lifted the workforce’s third Aegis of Champions simply final month, nonetheless, the workforce is kicking off the brand new season with a number of vital roster modifications. 
Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov and coach Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov are each taking a break and 
Batyuk of Yellow Submarine and Ilya “IllidanSTR” Pevcaev will fill in for them respectively.
It’s probably that Staff Spirit performs effectively, however to not their TI-winning requirements. On prime of getting to regulate to new members, the workforce tends to falter after TI season, earlier than peaking once more at main occasions.
In the meantime, finalists PARIVISION have a extra steady outlook, having persistently carried out effectively over the previous two seasons. The workforce dominated in 2025 earlier than taking a slower strategy in 2026, although they nonetheless remained among the many prime performers. The workforce, alongside 1w Staff, are the one ones which have retained their roster for the brand new season, now boasting the identical lineup for 3 consecutive years.
Coming into the event with essentially the most momentum, nonetheless, may very well be Staff Yandex. The workforce was some of the constant and adorned squads of the earlier season, regardless of it being their first season collectively, largely due to 
Martin “Saksa” Sazdovs management. Now bolstered by the firepower of star 
Ammar “ATF” Assaf, Yandex seem poised to proceed their sturdy run proper after bagging their first trophy within the new season at PGL Wallachia Season 9.
New lineups carry uncertainty..and loads of pleasure
Past the favourites, there are many juicier storylines to comply with.
Now we have a reformed OG within the pool at BLAST Slam VIII, marking 
Topias Miikka “Topson” Taavitsainen’s official return to the aggressive scene. The star midlaner helped the organisation declare each of its Aegis titles in 2018 and 2019, however has now come out of retirement to face a a lot larger problem of their fourth stint collectively.
He can be main a lineup of recent and unproven abilities. Nonetheless, if there’s one factor OG has persistently excelled at, it’s scouting expertise. So there may very well be loads of promise on this recent squad, though this event might not be the place they shine simply but.
Staff Liquid have additionally reshuffled their playing cards, with distinguished South American offlaner 
Adrian “Wisper” Cespedes Dobles moving into 
Marcus “Ace” Hoelgaard’s footwear. The transition may very well be a tough one, as Ace and 
Erik “tOfu” Engel have laned collectively for the previous 5 years. However Liquid are recognized for his or her long-term fine-tuning, which frequently pays off. 
Nai Zheng “MidOne” Yeik can even stand in for the workforce, as 
Michał “Nisha” Jankowski takes a break, doubtlessly including one other layer of adaptation for the squad at this occasion.
Probably the most thrilling rosters fashioned for the brand new season is LGD Gaming, now spearheaded by TI champions 
Jing “Sneyking” Wu and 
Syed Sumail “SumaiL” Hassan. The workforce made their debut at PGL Wallachia Season 9 and completed third, a comparatively promising begin.
In the meantime, former 
Team Falcons carry 
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko has relocated to Aurora Gaming, changing Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko within the lineup. Aurora’s debut at PGL Wallachia Season 9 was not as promising as a few of their stronger performances from the earlier season, with a Prime 6 outcome. However they may nonetheless enter BLAST Slam VIII with extra momentum than among the different debuting groups.
The identical might be stated for Xtreme Gaming, who’ve rebuilt round 
Wang “Ame” Chunyu, alongside Zixing “XinQ” Zhao and Zhibiao “BoBoKa” Ye. The workforce completed fourth at Wallachia Season 9, marking an honest begin for one in all China’s most extremely regarded squads.
1win, alternatively, have opted towards making any modifications to their roster, however expectations stay pretty modest for the workforce, as that they had struggled to satisfy expectations because the squad drastically deteriorated in mid-2026.
Darkish horses and underdogs of BLAST Slam VIII
Among the many darkish horses are NAVI, a workforce that has been wildly inconsistent, exhibiting flashes of brilliance earlier than struggling dramatically in different occasions. The workforce missed out on TI 2026, however have made a stronger begin to the brand new season, beating LGD Gaming and Xtreme Gaming to complete second at Wallachia Season 9. NAVI might pull off some main upsets, or discover themselves overwhelmed by the top-tier competitors.
Yakult Brothers are in the same boat, boasting a lineup of distinguished Chinese language stars resembling Liangzhi “KAKA” Hu and Yi “Emo” Zhou however remaining notoriously unpredictable.
GamerLegion carried out comparatively effectively in Wallachia Season 9, sharing their placement with Aurora Gaming. Now boasting 
Enzo “Timado” Gianoli within the carry function, the workforce might maybe discover a number of upsets within the occasion.
Rounding out the sphere are the underdogs MOUZ, Degree UP and Southeast Asia’s Staff Nemesis–all of which can be scouting for expertise on this season opener.
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