Dota 2 esports guide: The International, BLAST Slam and ESL events

Pro Dota 2 mixes Valve's own event, The International (TI), with tournaments run by companies like BLAST and ESL. Most big events are free to watch online. All facts below were checked on October 9, 2026, and schedules can change. See live dates on our tournaments page.

Key takeaways

• The International 2026 was held in Shanghai, August 13 to 23. Team Spirit won.
• BLAST Slam VIII has its LAN finals in Malta, October 8 to 11.
• BLAST Slam IX is online, November 20 to 29.
• Streams are free on Twitch and YouTube.

The International 2026

TI 15 had 16 teams at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai. A Swiss-style group stage ran August 13 to 16, then eight teams went to a double-elimination playoff from August 20 to 23. Team Spirit beat PARIVISION 3-2 in the best-of-five grand final on August 23. It was their third TI title, a first for any team. Reports put the prize pool at roughly 3.3 million dollars, with about 1.4 million for the winner. Figures differ a little between outlets.

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BLAST Slam

BLAST Slam VIII started online on September 29 with 16 teams in four groups, all best-of-three. Six teams reached the LAN finals at BLAST Arena Studios in Malta, a double-elimination bracket with a best-of-five grand final on October 11. The prize pool is 750,000 dollars. The finalists are PARIVISION, Team Spirit, Aurora Gaming, Team Yandex, LGD Gaming and 1w Team. The main stream is the BLASTDota channel on Twitch.

BLAST Slam IX is fully online from November 20 to 29 with 16 teams and a 750,000 dollar prize pool, according to BLAST. Team names were not yet announced.

DreamLeague and ESL

ESL runs the ESL Pro Tour. This year it included ESL One Birmingham (March 22 to 29) and DreamLeague Season 29 (May 13 to 24, one million dollars). Another ESL Pro Tour event is listed for December 2 to 13 on a schedule site, but it is not confirmed.

How to watch

1. Open the organizer's Twitch or YouTube channel.
2. Check the start time in your time zone.
3. Pick a language stream if offered.
4. Or open live streams to see everything on right now.

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