Table of Contents
BLAST Slam VII runs from May 26 to June 7, 2026 at BLAST Studios in Copenhagen — 12 teams, $1,000,000, and a Bo1 group stage that eliminates two of them before they even board a flight to Denmark. Team Liquid arrive as defending champions after beating Natus Vincere 3-1 in the Malta grand final, a result that also snapped Tundra Esports’ four-event BLAST winning streak and made this the most open Slam in over a year.
Which teams are genuine title contenders at BLAST Slam VII?
According to the full bracket and team details on Liquipedia, all eight direct invites have been confirmed alongside four qualifier slots: two from Europe, one from China, and one from Southeast Asia. That produced a field of Team Liquid, BetBoom Team, Tundra Esports, Team Falcons, Team Spirit, Team Yandex, OG, Ex Heroic, Aurоra (EU qualifier), PARIVISION (EU qualifier), Xtreme Gaming (China qualifier), and GLYPH (SEA qualifier).
Aurora might be the team to watch more than any other going into Copenhagen. They reached the DreamLeague Season 29 Grand Final and knocked out Team Falcons along the way — a result that very few people predicted. Group B throws Tundra directly against them on day one, and Tundra hasn’t been right since their BLAST streak ended. That’s a matchup with real upset potential inside the first 24 hours of the tournament.
Team Liquid are defending, but their form since Malta has been patchy. They failed to qualify for ESL One Birmingham and went out early at DreamLeague. Tofú and Ace have fitted in well since joining from Gaimin Gladiators, but consistency is still the issue. They’re the kind of team that can win a tournament on a hot week rather than through sustained form, which cuts both ways in single-elimination.
Why Tundra Esports are more interesting as underdogs than favorites
This time last year, Tundra were a lock for the top of every power ranking list. They won BLAST Slam I through V consecutively, posted a 15-1 record at Slam V alone, and looked functionally unbeatable inside this specific tournament format. Then BLAST Slam VI happened.
Their group stage at Malta was shaky from the start, with losses to NaVi, OG, Team Falcons, and Team Spirit. Then HEROIC — a team that had already been written off — swept them 2-0 in the play-ins to eliminate them before the LAN stage. That’s not a slump, that’s a structural problem, and it still hasn’t been explained. At DreamLeague, they didn’t perform well either, while Aurоra — their Day 1 opponent in Copenhagen — was still fresh from a Grand Final run. Tundra at 3.00+ odds feels about right.
The dark horse conversation: Team Spirit and Team Yandex
Team Spirit finished third at DreamLeague Season 29, with the results on May 24 showing they dropped 0-2 to Aurоra in the playoffs. That’s a rough send-off into Slam. But Spirit’s ceiling when they’re clicking is as high as anyone in the field, and they’ve had enough near-misses in 2026 to be dangerous. Group A puts them against BetBoom on day one, which is one of those “both teams trying to send a message” situations.
Team Yandex won DreamLeague Season 27 in December, beating Team Spirit 3-1 in the final. Winning your first Tier 1 LAN tends to recalibrate a roster, and Yandex have been competitive in nearly every event they’ve entered in 2026. They’re not an upset pick at this point — they’re a legitimate finalist candidate that the odds still undervalue slightly.
Group stage structure and the Bo1 problem
The Bo1 format is BLAST’s trademark cruelty. One bad draft, one off-game from a carry, and you’re suddenly fighting for survival in the Last Chance Qualifier instead of looking at a direct playoff seed. This is also the last Tier 1 event before EWC 2026, so fans following dota 2 esports standings closely will know that every result here carries weight beyond Copenhagen. Strafe noted before the event that Group B’s Xtreme Gaming matchup carries extra weight with TI 2026 in Shanghai now visible on the horizon — they were runners-up at TI 2025 and their 2026 results have been underwhelming. A last-place group finish here would be genuinely alarming for Chinese fans.
GLYPH and Ex Heroic are the two wildcard teams — both came through qualifiers, both are playing their first appearance at this level of BLAST. Ex Heroic made enough noise in South America to earn their spot, but the jump from regional qualifier to international Bo1s is steep. If one of them pulls an upset, it will almost certainly happen on day one before opponents have film on them.
The realistic bracket picture
Going into May 26, the most likely direct playoff seeds look like BetBoom (who just won PGL Wallachia Season 8 in dominant fashion, 3-0 over Aurora), Team Yandex, Team Liquid, and either Team Spirit or Aurоra depending on how their groups shake out. Tundra is the reigning four-time BLAST champion on paper but needs to actually look like that team again before anyone should back them at short odds.
The Grand Final that makes the most sense on current form: BetBoom against Team Liquid, a rematch of their various 2026 encounters with a million dollars and a Copenhagen crowd as the backdrop.
That said, this tournament has a history of producing one result that nobody saw coming. BLAST Slam VI alone gave us Tundra’s elimination by HEROIC and GamerLegion taking out MOUZ. When the format offers no second chances and Bo1 matches can turn on a single hero pick, “realistic” brackets tend to last about two days.
More Content