Set for this month at the BLAST Studio in Malta, the best 12 teams in Dota 2 are set to do battle at the 2026 BLAST Slam VI Tournament. Heading into this tournament, Team Falcons is the early favorite at +200 to win it all and has done well at other tournaments, including winning the The International 2025 event. Meanwhile, Team Spirit is following close behind at +250 and has won two iterations of The International (2021 and 2023) and been a dominant team in the scene. Noted in other sources, Tundra Esports has played in 546 matches, securing around 320 victories. Finally, Team Yandel (+500) is the last spotlight team here in this showdown event and brings an x-factor to this contest.
In this article, SBS will be going over the top teams at this tournament, a predicted winner, and also some additional notes and information coming from SBS and beyond.
| Favorites to Win the 2026 BLAST Slam VI Dota 2 Tournament |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Falcons | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Team Spirit | +250 | +250 | +250 |
| Tundra Esports | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Team Yandex | +500 | +500 | +500 |
Covered in another report, in August of last year, Team Falcons won FISSURE Universe: Episode 6, defeating Team Spirit 3-0 in the grand final to claim the US $125,000 first prize. Then at The International 2025, held in Hamburg, Germany, Falcons defeated Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in the grand final to claim the Aegis of Champions. Their path to the title included victories over Tidebound in the upper bracket quarterfinals, BetBoom Team in the semifinals, and PARVISION in the upper bracket final. With this victory, the Falcons secured their first International championship. Additionally, Coach Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling became the first person to win The International three times – once as a player in 2015, and twice as coach in 2022 and 2025. Finally, the Falcons were nominated for “Best Esports Team” at The Game Awards 2025, but did not win.
After a string of poor results in the early part of the 2024 season, Team Spirit defeated Xtreme Gaming 3-2 in the final of PGL Wallachia Season 1 and defeated 9Panda in the final of the 1win Series Dota 2 Summer tournament. Per sources, the organization was then one of six teams to receive a direct invite to The International 2024. Unfortunately, the squad was unable to defend their title, losing to Xtreme Gaming and placing 9th-12th at the event. With Yatoro, Collapse, and Rue retained for the 2025 season alongside Larl and Miposhka, the team found relative success defeating Tundra Esports 3-2 in the final of DreamLeague Season 25. Despite their strong form going into The International 2025, the team failed to qualify for the main event after losing to Team Falcons 2-0 in the elimination round.
Out of approximately 765 professional and semi-professional teams in Dota 2, Tundra has managed to secure a strong position in the rankings. Noted in the report, their longest winning streak was a remarkable 11 matches, spanning October 16, 2022, to January 11, 2023. With a 66% win rate, they are currently rated as the No. 2 squad in the Dota 2 rankings. Last year, they won first place at the BLAST Slam V event and also the Slam 4 and Slam 3 contests as well. Indeed, with so much fantastic talent on the roster, it would appear that they are poised to once again put together a strong performance. Of course, with a penchant for getting win streaks going, Tundra has an opportunity to start 2026 strong with another fantastic outing at the BLAST tournament this week.
Team Yandex is a professional squad hailing from Russia, competing in the CIS region, according to one Dota article. Formed in July of last year, they have made an immediate mark on the competitive scene with multiple top outings throughout the calendar year. Since their formation, TY has played 74 matches, securing approximately 44 victories. This includes a dominant win streak of 9 games between October 13th and October 23rd of last year. Of course, this is a loaded tournament, but they are a dark-horse contender.
A very wide-open and top-heavy field, Team Falcons is hungry for a victory at the BLAST events and is poised for a championship run. They have their work cut out for them, but are the favorites here for a reason, given their pedigree and resume.
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About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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