What to Expect from 2026 Blast SLAM VI

We're halfway through January, and if you're a fan of Dota 2, you're probably waiting for the first month of the year to end. We are on the same page, as February is when the fun starts for all fans of the game. BLAST has announced the details for the upcoming Slam VI, a tournament which will be held in Malta during February. The sixth instalment in the series is scheduled to start on February 3rd, with the grand final being on program on February 15th. As usual, the top teams are going to compete for the prize pool of $1 million, and of course, the glory and fame that comes with winning this prestigious tournament.

The interesting part about the tournaments in the BLAST organization is that the Danish company entered the fry only in 2024. In less than two years the company has managed to make the Slam tournaments Tier 1 competitions. The rise was quick and well deserved. Because of their rise to stardom we now have only the best of the best competing at the SLAM VI. Those that have qualified are Team Falcons, Tundra Esports, Team Yandex, Mouz, Xtreme Gaming, Heroic, Natus Vincere, and Rekonix. Before we move toward Blast SLAM VI picks and predictions, let's check out the format for the upcoming tournament.

2026 Blast SLAM VI Format

As we said, in no time Blast has transformed itself into one of the best and the biggest companies in the Esports domain. Their Slam tournaments now belong to the Tier 1 bracket of tournament quality, and as such, they've decided to make it even more prestigious. For the Slam VI the company has decided to change the format a bit. The transition is seen in the number of matches played. There will no longer be best of three series. Instead, all duels in February are going to be played in bets of five series. BLAST Slam VI will be the first of its kind to have BO5 format in each round.

The group stage will be on schedule from 03.02.2026. till 05.02.2026. It is a preliminary round for 12 teams, who will all participate in a Round Robin system. Here, we will have BO1 matches. Only the two top teams will reach the playoff semi finals. Teams who find themselves in positions from 3 to 8, will continue their competition. They will go through the play in stage and look to get many coveted playoff spots. Teams who place from 9th to 12th will enter the Last Chance stage and they will be given one more chance to reach the tourney's final stage.

The group stage will take place as an online competition from 3rd to 5th February. As we said, it will be played as a 12 team Round Robin and all duels will be best of one series. It will feature 66 matches in total, so all fans of Dota 2 tournaments need to gear up as we will have plenty of hours of gameplay come February, and we're talking the highest level of Esports.

Play ins are scheduled to be played from 6th of February till 8th. It will feature 2 last chance playoff duels. In addition to those high stake duels, we will also have 4 play in games. Every of these matchups will be played as a best of three series. In this stage we will only have 6 total duels, but considering what's at stake, they will more than make up for in quality what they lack in numbers. The winners of these play ins advance to the playoff stage of BLAST Slam VI. This part of the tourney is also played only online.

The playoffs are the part of the tournament that will take place in Malta and it will be played in Blast's studios live. It's where the format will become the best of five series, and where the winner is going to be decided. We will only have two quarter final matches, followed by two semi final matchups, and eventually the grand final. Five total matches will decide the winner of this much coveted tournament which all of us eagerly are expecting. With only a few weeks left until the start of the competition this might be a good moment to check out the Blast SLAM VI betting odds, and see who they favour. Below you will find the teams we see as betting favorites to take home the crown from Malta.

Early Favourites

As it is usually the case, the teams that can go all the way at any tournament are well known. It is all about the quality of the roster, current form, previous results, and of course, the never ceasing hunger to add more trophies to the trophy cabinet. Some teams have more of it than others. In our opinion the following teams will go far in the coming tourney.

Tundra Esports

This team has been one of the most dominant ones in some of the previous installments of BLAST's tournaments. It will be no surprise if they continue in the same manner come February. After all, this team has been the No1 competitor in many of the previous BLAST Slam tournaments most notably winning the II, III, and IV. We believe they can make it to another Grand Final if they keep playing as they have recently. Of course, keeping up the highest of standards is never easy, but we think that Tundra Esports can do it, if anyone can. Their team is built to compete, and during the last few months they've proven that they can go against the best teams, as witnessed when they won 3:2 vs. Team Falcons during the final of the BLAST Slam IV. With the likes of Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko, Matthew “Ari” Walker, and Bozhidar “bzm” Bogdanov leading the way, all teams participating in the tournament in February need to pay attention to Tundra Esports.

Team Falcons

In recent months, Team Falcons are the team to beat when it comes to Dota 2 tournaments. They're one of the teams with the highest potential to win every trophy, and it will be no different in Malta. With Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak controlling the midlane and being in top form during the last few months, the best can be expected to be the norm for Team Falcons at BLAST Slam VI. Their captain has also been excelling in leadership roles, and if you've been paying attention to how Team Falcons operate, then you know that plenty lies in the hands of Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf. A team that has won FISSURE Playground 2 and Aegis of Champions not so long ago, anything less than the Grand Final will be seen as a failure. You can bet that Oliver “skiter” Lepko, Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, Ammar “ATF” Al-Assaf (Captain), Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, Jingjun “Sneyking” Wu, and Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling will remember how they've lost to Tundra Esports the last time they played in the Grand Final of a Slam, and they will be all in for a piece of revenge served cold.

How to Bet on Dota 2

If you're a first time bettor it might appear to be complicated. Yet, in essence it's the easiest thing in the world. Of course, you'll first need an account with a reputable sports betting platform such as Stake. If you have that part handled too, and you have funds deposited on your account you can head straight to check out what types of betting markets are available if you want to wager on the biggest Dota 2 tournaments such as BLAST Slam VI.

The place to start would of course be to wager on the Match Winner. It is a two way moneyline bet wager, and the simplest one of all bets. You bet on a team that you believe that's going to win in a certain fixture. Considering there are no draws in a Dota 2 match, you only need to pick one team, the winner. What you need to remember as far as the BLAST Slam VI goes is that only the initial matches are played in BO1 format, while everything later on is either BO3, or BO5 when it comes to quarter finals, semi, and the final match.

What we have next, and this comes into play with BO3 and BO5 duels are Map Handicap bets. Handicap comes as a way to level the playing field if you want to wager on a weaker team to lose, but not before taking home a map or two. So, let's say that you have a 1.5 map handicap on Team Yandex against Team Falcons. In a best of three series, Team Falcons would have to win 3:0 for it to count as their win. With an 1.5 map handicap, Team Yandex could lose the duel 2:1 and still win as far as the bookies go.

If you have a good feeling on how a certain duel will go, you can wager on a Total Maps betting market. It is a simple under/over wager where you guess how many maps will teams play during their encounter. For close contests that come around in semi finals and final matches, it is always wise to bet over on maps as teams give their best and we rarely see a team lose the final duel with a 5:0 score.

For those who are truly into Dota 2 and sports betting, trying your luck and knowledge with the Correct Score betting market is the way to go. When two teams meet in a BO3 or BO5 match you can try and guess the correct score. It's not an easy bet to make, especially if you try it on with a few matches during the same tournament on one slip. Yes, it comes with amazing odds, but it's not easy, especially in the BO5 series.

Above you have some standard betting markets that are available on many Esports. If you're new to sports betting, it's best to stick to those. Once you get more adept in wagering on Esports and specifically on Dota 2, trying out Wins at Least One Map, Specific Map Outcomes, Proposition bets, Parlays and Outright betting markets is the next step. Considering that BLAST Slam VI is a few weeks away you have more than enough time to prepare your betting slips.