BLAST Slam VII: Group Stage, Play-In Results and Playoff Schedule

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BLAST Slam VII brought a lot of surprises and changed the professional scene ahead of the Esports World Cup. Let's take a look at which teams made it through the Group Stage and the Play-In, and who will be seeded into each stage of the tournament.

LGD Gaming was the biggest surprise, going from failing to qualify for the EWC at DreamLeague Season 29 straight to the top of the Group Stage at BLAST Slam VII.

Group Stage Results: The LGD Show

As we mentioned before, LGD Gaming turned the Group Stage into their own personal showcase in front of thousands of Dota fans. They managed to defeat most of the top teams in the tournament and secure the first slot in the Playoff Semifinals.

They were accompanied by PARIVISION, who placed second due to the tiebreaker rules placing them above BetBoom Team. The three teams were tied, with each finishing the Group Stage with eight victories and three defeats.

LGD Gaming stole the spotlight on the Group Stage from start to finish.

The final seed in the Playoff Quarterfinals went to Team Falcons. The reigning TI champions scored seven victories and four defeats during the group stage alongside Team Yandex, but once again the tiebreaker rules placed them above Yandex, who dropped into the Last Chance Qualifiers.

At the lower end of the table, Xtreme Gaming and GLYPH were the first duo eliminated from the tournament. GLYPH finished with two victories and nine defeats, while XG lost the tiebreaker against OG and Tundra Esports with a score of three victories and eight defeats.

Last Chance Qualifiers: 6 Teams, 2 Slots

The Last Chance Qualifiers were amazing as usual, with six teams fighting for the two remaining slots in the Playoffs. The opening matchups were Team Spirit versus OG and Aurora Gaming versus Tundra Esports.

The first match ended with Team Spirit eliminating OG 2-0, only to shortly afterward be eliminated themselves by Team Yandex with the same score. Team Spirit had a good run at DreamLeague, but Yandex seems to be strong enough to take them down.

Two former BLAST Slam Champions down. Someone else will lift the trophy at the end of the tournament.

On the other side of the bracket, Aurora Gaming would face both the previous BLAST Slam champions and the reigning champions on the same day. First, they turned the tables to defeat Tundra Esports 2-1 and eliminate the former champions.

Not long after, they also defeated Team Liquid 2-0 and completed their run through the Last Chance Qualifier. Now we move on to the Playoffs schedule and the painful reality of waiting until June 4.

BLAST Slam VII: Playoff Schedule

As we have already mentioned, BLAST added a pause to the schedule on previous editions so that teams coming through the Play-In would not face the disadvantage of immediately playing against seeded teams that had more time to rest and were supposedly stronger.

For now, we can't do much besides wait for the Playoffs to begin on June 4, but in the meantime, here is the schedule for the matchups we already know:

June 4 — 09:00 GMT — Team Falcons vs. Team Yandex
June 4 — 12:30 GMT — BetBoom Team vs. Aurora Gaming
June 4 — 16:00 GMT — LGD Gaming vs. Falcons/Yandex
June 5 — 09:00 GMT — PARIVISION vs. BetBoom/Aurora

It's important to remember that all Playoff matches will be best-of-three series, while the Grand Final will be the classic best-of-five. This is a double-elimination bracket, so teams that lose in the Upper Bracket will get a second chance against whoever advances through the Lower Bracket.

Jabs at Valve After Group Stage

After LGD Gaming made this impressive run through the Group Stage, many people took jabs at Valve on Twitter, arguing that they should have invited at least one South American team to The International 2026.

On one hand, I understand the fans' position. Having two competitive teams in your region, both effectively saved at the last minute, and not having a chance to get them both into The International is frustrating.

On the other hand, Valve made their decision based on the data they had available, probably before DreamLeague Season 29, when both teams were not performing particularly well. Their resurgence has been amazing to witness, but Valve can't really be blamed for failing to anticipate it.

On top of that, China is the host country. The region used to battle Europe for the Aegis head-to-head until The International 2016, and this may be a rare opportunity for Chinese teams to fight for the trophy again after Xtreme Gaming finished as runners-up in 2025.

All that said, maybe South American fans can launch a campaign to try and twist Valve's arm into conceding an additional slot by popular demand. We make Dota 2 what it is, and if the community pushes hard enough across all regions, maybe another "miracle" can happen.

Closing Thoughts

After watching PlayTime secure their EWC slot and LGD Gaming steal the spotlight at BLAST Slam VII, Dota fans of all regions and ages are once again rooting for the underdogs in a way that perfectly reflects the spirit of The International.

We will stay alert to any news and changes coming from both Valve and BLAST, so remember to keep an eye on the news section of the Strafe website for everything you need to know about Dota 2.

Featured Image Source: Twitter (@BLASTDota)