All BLAST Slam VIII playoff teams confirmed: format, schedule, results and bracket
The fifth day of BLAST Slam VIII has concluded, with all playoff participants now confirmed. The teams will have a five-day break before the decisive stage of the tournament begins.
Last Chance
In the Last Chance stage, LGD Gaming defeated GamerLegion with a 2:1 score. The second map was particularly one-sided, as the Chinese team allowed their opponents to secure just one kill compared to their own 28. The game ended in 35 minutes.
In the other series, 1Win Team defeated OG by the same score. The winning team's carry and midlaner deserve special mention, having died just once between them across the two maps they won. Their only death came from Ivan Pure Moskalenko in the deciding game.
Following these matches, GamerLegion and OG were eliminated from the tournament, sharing 7th–8th place.
Decider
In the first seeding match for the next stage, PARIVISION comfortably defeated Aurora Gaming 2:0. On the opening map, Vladimir No[o]ne Minenko's team finished the game with a 33:3 kill advantage in just 28 minutes.
In the second series, Team Spirit defeated Team Yandex with a 2:1 score, securing a place in the playoff semifinals.
Notably, on the first map, the Dragons picked Viper for carry Illya Yatoro Mulyarchuk against Ammar ATF Al-Assaf's offlane Huskar, but the strategy did not work out. Throughout his career, Yatoro has played Viper as a carry only twice. His first attempt was in 2019, when he also suffered a defeat.
Despite a difficult start, Spirit won the next two maps and emerged victorious.
Playoffs day 1 schedule (08.10.2026):
- 09:00 LGD Gaming — Team Yandex
- 12:30 Aurora Gaming — 1Win Team
- 16:00 PARIVISION — LGD Gaming / Team Yandex
Results from previous game days:
Day 1
Group A
In Group A, PARIVISION easily defeated Level Up. Meanwhile, Xtreme Gaming, with a substitute in the mid lane, was unable to overcome LGD Gaming.
Group B
In Group B, Team Spirit unexpectedly lost the first map to Team Nemesis but still managed to win the series. In a hard-fought battle between 1WIN Team and Natus Vincere, squad, led by Neta 33 Shapira, emerged victorious.
Group D
In Group D, the revamped Team Liquid roster made a successful debut against Yakult Brothers, while Aurora Gaming crushed GamerLegion.
Day 2
Group A
PARIVISION continued its strong performance and swept LGD Gaming 2:0. With this victory, the team finished first in the group and advanced to the next stage.
In the lower bracket, Xtreme Gaming gave Level UP no chance, also completing a clean sweep. The team's second consecutive defeat resulted in its elimination from the tournament.
Group B
Team Spirit confidently defeated 1win Team 2:0 to claim its second consecutive victory and advance to the playoffs. Spirit also beat the same opponent without dropping a map for the second time in a short period. The teams previously faced each other at The International 2026, where the series also ended with a victory for the "Dragons."
In the elimination series, Team Nemesis defeated Natus Vincere with a 2:1 score. The Ukrainian team once again failed to secure a victory and, following Level UP, ended its run at the tournament.
Group C
The first matches of the group were played today. PGL Wallachia Season 9 winner Team Yandex gave MOUZ no chance, closing out the series 2:0.
In the second series, the updated OG roster lost to BetBoom Team with a 1:2 score. Vitaly Save- Melnik stood out after switching from position four to midlane before the start of the season, confidently holding his own against Topias Topson Taavitsainen in the midlane throughout the series.
Day 3
Group C
There were no surprises in Group C, as the favorites secured victories in their respective series.
First, Team Yandex defeated BetBoom Team without much difficulty, securing a place in the playoffs. OG then overcame MOUZ. Both series ended in clean 2-0 sweeps, with MOUZ eliminated from the tournament.
Notably, despite the defeat, MOUZ managed to overcome a 20,000-gold deficit twice. However, they ultimately failed to destroy the Ancient of Topias Topson Taavitsainen's team.
Group D
In Group D, GamerLegion dominated Yakult Brothers with a 2-0 victory, eliminating the Chinese squad from the tournament. The winners held a commanding advantage, recording 46 kills to their opponents' 14 on the first map and 42 to 16 on the second.
In the upper bracket, Aurora Gaming defeated Team Liquid 2-1, securing a place in the playoffs.
One of the key moments of the series came on the second map, when Miroslav Mira Kolpakov stole the Aegis of the Immortal while playing Dark Willow. This helped Aurora Gaming win a teamfight and eventually secure the map.
Day 4
Group A
In a clash between two Chinese clubs, LGD Gaming defeated Xtreme Gaming, winning the series 2:1.
The first two maps followed a similar pattern: one side completely dominated, leaving their opponent no chance of making a comeback.
On the deciding map, LGD managed to make a comeback, overcoming a 20,000 gold deficit and destroying the enemy Ancient.
Group B
In Group B, 1Win Team defeated Team Nemesis with a 2:0 score. Matthew Whitemon Filemon's team comfortably handled their opponent and will now have a chance to fight for a playoff spot in the Last Chance stage.
Group C
One of the biggest surprises of the day was OG's victory over BetBoom Team. Despite losing the opening map, Topias Topson Taavitsainen's team managed to turn the series around and win the next two games, eliminating their opponent from the tournament.
Notably, Topson played Invoker on the second map, extending his winning streak on the hero to nine consecutive matches. The Finnish midlaner last lost with Invoker two and a half years ago, when he was still playing for Tundra Esports.
Group D
Another unexpected result was GamerLegion's convincing 2:0 victory over Team Liquid.
On the first map, the team secured the win thanks to a Lone Druid pick for Yuma Yuma Langlet, while in the second game, GamerLegion surprised their opponent by picking Meepo, a hero that had not appeared on the professional scene for quite some time.
Tournament Format:
BLAST SLAM VIII will take place from 29.09.2026 to 11.10.2026. The group stage will be held online, while the playoffs will be a LAN event in Malta.
For the first time, the group stage at BLAST SLAM will use the GSL system, with 4 groups of 4 teams each. All matches in the tournament will be played in a Bo3 format, except for the Bo5 Grand Final. The playoff bracket will be double elimination.
Sixteen teams will compete for a total prize pool of $750,000 ($550,000 allocated as player prize money, with an additional $200,000 distributed as revenue to the clubs).
Groups Draw
CyberScore has compiled a preliminary analysis of the teams for you, based on the group stage of PGL Wallachia Season 9 as well as the teams’ results from last season.
Group A
Group A will feature PARIVISION, Xtreme Gaming, LGD Gaming, and Level UP.
PARIVISION is nominally considered the group favorite, although the team’s roster for the new season has not yet been officially announced. Rumor has it that Edgar 9Class Naltakyan may be taking a break. But even with one substitution, the runners-up of The International 2026 will likely advance to the main stage of the tournament without any trouble.
Also, based on the results of the group stage of PGL Wallachia Season 9, the revamped roster of Xtreme Gaming stands out, having secured a spot in the main stage without losing a single series.
The clear underdog in the group is Level UP, but LGD Gaming will likely also struggle to compete with PV and XG.
Group B
Group B will feature 1WIN Team, Natus Vincere, Team Nemesis, and Team Spirit.
The competition in this group looks fairly even: 1W Team, NAVI, and Nemesis have already advanced to the top 8 at PGL Wallachia, and the reigning The International champions — Team Spirit — despite replacing Magomed Collapse Khalilov with Bogdan Batyuk Batyuk — remain formidable opponents, though they may face some challenges in their first tournament of the season with a revamped roster.
Group C
Group C will feature BetBoom Team, MOUZ, OG, and Team Yandex.
Yandex advanced through the group stage of PGL Wallachia Season 9 without losing a single series. As in the previous season, the team remains one of the top favorites.
The BetBoom Team roster, featuring Vitaly Save- Melnik in the mid lane, is, as the club’s CEO noted, experimental. It is difficult to predict how successful the team’s debut performance will be, just as it is for the new multinational OG roster featuring Topias Topson Taavitsainen and Valery SSS Lazarev. However, for both teams, MOUZ is considered a beatable opponent.
Group D
Group D will feature Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming, GamerLegion, and Yakult Brothers.
Aurora Gaming and GamerLegion finished the group stage of PGL Wallachia with a 3-1 record, but they only defeated underdogs along the way, while suffering losses when facing stronger teams. Therefore, these teams may struggle against Team Liquid. Yakult Brothers are the clear underdogs of the group; it will be extremely difficult for them to advance to the playoffs.
Latest news on BLAST SLAM VIII:
- The participants in the championship have been announced
- The organizers have updated the format of the tournament’s group stage
- Results of the closed qualifiers
- Team Liquid submitted an updated roster for the tournament
- Xm from Xtreme Gaming will miss the tournament, and the team announced his replacement
by CyberScore