Malta Madness begins: BLAST Slam VI & VII Qualifier details are out

We recently witnessed Tundra Esports lift their fourth Slam trophy in Chengdu, and become the most decorated Dota 2 team in the history of BLAST. But now that the dust has settled, it’s time to move on to the next event – BLAST Slam VI in Malta and BLAST Slam VII.

The dates for the Open and Closed qualifiers for those events have been released. For BLAST Slam VI the Open Qualifier begins January 2-3, 2026, while the Open Qualifiers for BLAST Slam VII will take place in March 2026.

BLAST Slam VI: Malta

The upcoming iteration of BLAST Slam VI will be held in the beautiful island country of Malta. Slated to begin on February 03, 2025, the event will feature twelve of the best Dota 2 teams in the world in the brand new BLAST Studios.

Here’s the list:

• Tundra Esports
• Team Falcons
• MOUZ
• HEROIC
• Team Yandex
• TBA (Direct Invite)
• TBA (Direct Invite)
• TBA (Direct Invite)
• Americas Invite
• Europe Qualifier
• Southeast Asia Qualifier
• China Qualifier

Five teams have received direct invites, and three more will be sent to top teams in the very near future. But who grabs the last remaining invites? Will it be some new faces turning heads currently, or will it be the usual suspects like… you know who, right?

The remaining slots will be up for grabs through the regional qualifiers. Four teams will secure their place in the event via their respective qualifiers. Speaking of which, the dates for BLAST Slam VI: Malta qualifiers are out.

BLAST Slam VI Qualifiers

The four remaining teams for BLAST Slam VI will be determined through a series of regional qualifiers, both open and closed. The details are as follows:

• Open Qualifiers: The open qualifiers for all regions will be held from January 2-3, 2026. The qualifiers will run for two days with an unlimited number of teams competing in a single elimination bracket. The initial matches will be Bo1’s while the Semi Finals will be Bo3’s – both grand finalists will advance to the Closed Qualifiers.
• Closed Qualifiers: The closed qualifiers for all regions will take place over two days, from January 4-5, 2026. A total of eight teams (4 Invited Teams and 4 Open Qualifier Teams) will compete in a single elimination bracket with all matches being played in a Bo3 format. Ultimately, only one team from each qualifier will end up qualifying for the BLAST Slam VI: Malta main event.

BLAST Slam VII Qualifier Details

We’ve great news lined up for you folks. The dates for BLAST Slam VII qualifiers have also been determined. They are:

• Open Qualifiers: The open qualifiers will be held on March 31 and April 1, 2026. The qualifiers will run for two days, with an unlimited number of teams competing in a single-elimination bracket. The initial matches will be Bo1’s while the Semi Finals will be Bo3’s – both grand finalists will advance to the Closed Qualifiers.
• Closed Qualifiers: The closed qualifiers will be held on April 2-3, 2026. A total of eight teams (4 Invited Teams and 4 Open Qualifier Teams) will compete in a single elimination bracket with all matches being played in a Bo3 format. Ultimately, only one team from each qualifier will end up qualifying for the BLAST Slam VI: Malta main event.