The groups and schedule for BLAST SLAM VIII have been announced: format and tournament bracket

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7 min.

The organizers of BLAST SLAM VIII have announced the group draw and the schedule for the first stage of the tournament. 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.

Game Day 1 — Schedule (29.09.2026):

10:00 PARIVISION — Level UP (Group A)
10:00 Team Spirit — Team Nemesis (Group B)
13:00 LGD Gaming — Xtreme Gaming (Group A)
13:00 1WIN Team — Natus Vincere (Group B)
16:00 Team Liquid — Yakult Brothers (Group D)
16:00 Aurora Gaming — GamerLegion (Group D)

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).