BLAST Slam III has concluded, and focus now shifts to DreamLeague Season 26. This competition will be the second S-tier Dota 2 tournament of May 2025. It features sixteen teams competing online for a $1 million prize pool and valuable EPT points. Our 26th DreamLeague Dota 2 betting guide offers an in-depth review of this upcoming tournament.
Four teams secured their places via the EPT Leaderboard, while ten others advanced through regional qualifiers. In addition, the two finalists from ACL x ESL Challenger China have received direct entry into the event.
BLAST Slam III winner Tundra Esports has withdrawn from the tournament. With that development, NaVi Junior will take up their spot. Due to their absence, ESL has issued a 20% deduction from Tundra’s current EPT points.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26 |
| 🧾 Format: | S-tier LAN tournament with 16 teams and a few stages |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Monday, May 19 – Sunday, June 1, 2025 |
Sixteen teams will begin the tournament with a round-robin group stage. Following this opening phase, the competition will shift to a double-elimination format for the playoffs. Group Stage 1 will feature two round-robin groups of eight teams each. Matches in the first phase will be best-of-two. The top four teams from each group will advance to Group Stage 2, while the remaining teams are out.
Group Stage 2 will consist of a single round-robin group with eight teams. Matches in this stage will be best-of-three. The upper bracket of the playoffs will feature the top two teams from group stage 2. Teams that finish third and fourth will move to the lower bracket. The rest will exit the tournament. The playoffs will follow a double-elimination format. All matches will be best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which will be best-of-five.
ESL has divided the prize pool into two parts ($750,000 as Player Prize Money and $250,000 as Club Reward). The breakdown is as follows: the first-place team will receive $250,000, while second and third place will earn $100,000 and $80,000, respectively. In addition to the prize money, teams will compete for 29,200 EPT Points, with the winning team receiving the largest portion.
Sites for esports betting have put up winner odds for this event. This section identifies the Dota 2 DreamLeague Season 26 odds for the top five teams and discusses their winning prospects.
Despite an early exit in Round 2 of BLAST Slam III, PARIVISION remains a strong contender in this tournament. Before that setback, PARIVISION placed second at PGL Wallachia Season 4 and claimed the title at ESL One Raleigh 2025. They also advanced to the lower bracket final in DreamLeague Season 25. The Russian team has shown steady progress in recent weeks, and their chances have improved with Tundra Esports no longer in the mix. Their showing at BLAST Slam III doesn’t reflect their full potential. We expect them to return to top form, make a deep run, and possibly win this event.
Liquid also had a disappointing run at BLAST Slam III, exiting in Round 1. However, that result doesn’t overshadow their recent success—the Dutch organization won both PGL Wallachia Season 3 and Season 4. While their form in other events this year has been inconsistent, they still have the talent to deliver surprises and compete for titles. As a result, they remain a strong candidate to contend for this tournament when it begins on June 1.
After finishing second at BLAST Slam III, Team Falcons have positioned themselves as a strong contender for this tournament. Although they haven’t secured a title yet this season, they’ve come close on multiple occasions, including a narrow miss at FISSURE PLAYGROUND #1. Throughout the year, Falcons consistently placed in the top five in most events. They’ll need to match their best performances and deliver when it matters most to win this time, in the grand finals.
Giamin is also without a title this year, yet its past two S-tier tournament outings have been encouraging. The Canadian organization reached the semi-finals at BLAST Slam III and the grand finals at FISSURE Universe: Episode 4, losing 3:0 to BetBoom Team. Alimzhan “Watson” Islambekov and Quinn “Quinn” Callahan were very impressive at BLAST Slam III. Both players emerged among the top 10 players in the group stage at that event. If they can continue their performance in the contest, Giamin could go all the way.
Xtreme qualified for this event after reaching the grand final of ACL x ESL Challenger China, claiming the title with a 3–0 win over Yakult Brothers. Among their other achievements, they won the Fissure Special and made it to the lower bracket quarterfinals at PGL Wallachia Season 3. Xtreme may not be as strong on paper compared to some of the other teams in the field. Yet, a strong start could give them the momentum needed to pull off a surprise.
Here are our DreamLeague Season 26 betting tips for this tournament:
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
With Tundra no longer in the competition, PARIVISION is our pick to win the tournament. They’ve shown strong form recently, finishing in the top two in their last three events. For them to take the title here, strong performances will be needed from Alan “Satanic” Gallyamov, Vladimir “No[o]ne” Minenko, and Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin. This trio has played a central role in the team’s recent success and will be key to their chances in this contest. Given their strengths, the best Rainbow Six betting sites agree with the top Dota betting sites on PARIVISION’s prospects. The top bookmakers are offering odds of 4.30 (10/3) for Vision’s outright win.
2 (100%)
0
Since their victory at PGL Wallachia Season 3, Team Liquid has shown inconsistent form in recent events. Their follow-up win at PGL Wallachia Season 4 reinforces this unpredictability. In both tournaments, they defeated strong opponents such as Tundra Esports and PARIVISION, clearly showing their ability to compete with top teams. If they can reproduce the level of play seen in those competitions, Liquid has a strong chance of reaching the grand finals of this competition.
Here are our 2025 Dota 2 DreamLeague S26 tips for this event:
Aside from their early exit at BLAST Slam III, PARIVISION is the leading contender to win this tournament. With a talented roster, they have a strong chance of claiming their second title of the season by June 1. Be sure to check our Dota 2 betting options to make informed picks throughout the competition.
