The first top-tier Dota 2 tournament of 2026, BLAST Slam VI, is about to begin its playoffs.

The 2026 Dota 2 professional season is about to reach its first climax in Malta, with the BLAST Slam VI playoffs, the first Tier-1 tournament of the year, kicking off from February 13th to 15th.

Six of the world's top teams have assembled, ready to make their final push for the championship title and a total prize pool of $1 million. The biggest highlight of this playoffs is the comprehensive upgrade to the competition format.

The organizing committee broke with the tradition of using a best-of-three format in non-final stages and announced that all matches in this playoffs, from the first round to the final, will adopt a brutal and high-intensity best-of-five single-elimination format.

This change aims to eliminate the element of luck in the competition as much as possible, and to comprehensively test the tactical reserves and physical limits of each team through a longer competition period.

After fierce competition in the group stage and the playoffs, the six powerhouse teams that have advanced to the main event have been determined: OG, NAVI, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, HEROIC, and Team Yandex.

The championship battle is about to begin, and the ultimate winner will take home a $300,000 prize. Fans worldwide can watch the entire event live on the official Twitch and YouTube channels and witness the birth of the first champion of 2026.

Image source: Internet