DreamLeague Season 26 Group Stage #1 Overview: Teams, Dates, Format

On May 19, 2025, one of the biggest online Dota 2 tournaments of the year kicks off — DreamLeague Season 26. The first stage of the tournament will be Group Stage 1, which will serve as a major test for the 16 participating teams. And there’s plenty at stake — in addition to the title, teams will be competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Group Stage 1 of DreamLeague S26, including the format, team distribution, and match dates.

DreamLeague Season 26 Group Stage Format

DL Season 26 sticks to a classic structure with a few unique adjustments. The event is divided into several stages, starting with Group Stage 1. The 16 teams are split into two groups (A and B) of eight teams each. All matches will be played in a Bo2 (best-of-two) format, allowing for possible ties. The point system is simple:

• 2 points for a win
• 1 point for a draw
• 0 points for a loss

At the end of the group stage:

• Top 4 teams from each group advance to Group Stage 2
• The remaining teams are eliminated

This format allows a large number of matches to be played efficiently without dragging them out into longer Bo3s. However, the flip side is that a single weak series could cost a team their shot at advancing further in DL 26. Expect every match in this stage of DreamLeague Season 26 to be highly competitive and impactful.

DreamLeague Season 26 Teams – Group A

Now let’s get to the most anticipated part — the group allocations. Here are the teams in Group A of DL S26:

• Aurora Gaming
• BB Team
• Boom Esports
• Nigma Galaxy
• OG.Latam
• Shopify Rebellion
• Team Liquid
• Xtreme Gaming

As we can see, Group A features several powerhouse DreamLeague Season 26 Participants like Team Liquid, BB Team, and Xtreme Gaming, alongside underdogs such as OG.LATAM and Boom Esports. It’s difficult to make accurate predictions, but Team Liquid, BB Team, and Aurora Gaming are the likely favorites to advance to the next stage of DL Season 26.

A particularly exciting matchup will be Nigma Galaxy vs. Xtreme Gaming, as both teams are quite close in skill level — this clash could play a major role in deciding who advances.

DreamLeague Season 26 Teams – Group B

The following teams are assigned to Group B of DreamLeague Season 26:

• Avulus
• Edge
• Gaimin Gladiators
• NAVI Junior
• PARIVISION
• Talon Esports
• Team Falcons
• Yakult Brothers

Group B might be even more competitive and evenly matched. PARIVISION, Team Falcons, and Gaimin Gladiators stand out as the top contenders, but NAVI Junior and AVULUS have proven they can challenge even the strongest opponents. Which of these DL Season 26 teams do you think has the best shot at advancing?

DreamLeague Season 26 Group Stage 1 Match Dates

Group Stage 1 is the opening phase of DL Season 26 and will run from May 19 to May 22. Exact match times and head-to-head schedules will be announced soon. The top 8 teams from this stage will move on to Group Stage 2 of DreamLeague Season 26.

Fans can catch all the action live on ESL’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, as well as through regional broadcast partners. We’ll also be providing news coverage on our DreamLeague Season 26 page — so stay tuned for updates!