Your viewer’s guide to DreamLeague Season 28

It’s abundantly clear that the Dota 2 esports scene is packed with top-tier events for fans to watch. Just as the BLAST Slam VI finishes up, it’s time for DreamLeague Season 28 to get started. Here’s what you must know so you don’t miss a second of the action.

DreamLeague Season 28 tournament details

DreamLeague Season 28 is an online event taking place on the Europe West servers. The tournament runs from 16 February to 1 March 2026, boasting two weeks of action as teams compete for their share of the $1 million prize pool. That’s roughly R16 million at the current exchange rate.

The first Group Stage features two single round-robin groups of eight teams each, where the top four from each group advance to the second Group Stage. In the second Group Stage, eight teams will fight for four spots in the Playoffs Stage. The top two teams advance to the Upper Bracket, while the 3rd/4th place teams advance to the Lower Bracket.

In the Playoffs Stage, the final four teams will duke it out. All matches are best-of-three, except for the Grand Final, which is best-of-five. We are definitely expecting some upsets after the events of BLAST Slam VI, which showcased just how close the top teams in the scene are.

Check out a full list of teams competing at DreamLeague Season 28 in their respective groups outlined below.

Team Yandex is the defending champion, having won DreamLeague Season 27, beating the favorites Team Spirit in the Grand Final.

Catch all the DreamLeague Season 27 action live on the official ESL Dota 2 Twitch channel. Stay tuned to Esports Central for more Dota 2 news, from results and highlights to the biggest transfers and tournament viewers’ guides like this one.

Header image via Valve.