BLAST Slam VI heads to Malta in February: Formats & qual info

The first BLAST Slam of 2026 is scheduled to arrive in February, continuing the million-dollar circuit that has become a key pillar of the Dota 2 calendar. Slam VI will run over two weeks, with online groups and play-ins leading to a LAN playoff in Malta with a live studio audience.

In this article, we delve into the structure, dates, and what the path to Malta looks like.

Team distribution for BLAST SLAM VI

Slam VI sticks with a mix of invites and earned slots through qualifiers:

• 8 teams: Direct invites (Top 4 from Slam IV + Top 4 from Slam V)
• 1 team: Europe Closed Qualifier winner
• 1 team: China Closed Qualifier winner
• 1 team: SEA Closed Qualifier winner
• 1 team: Americas invite

The top 4 teams from Slam IV and therefore receiving an invite to BLAST Slam VI: Malta are as follows:

• MOUZ
• Tundra
• HEROIC
• Team Falcons

BLAST SLAM VI - qualifier info

The qualifiers are split into Open and Closed regional tournaments, with only one team from each region (Europe, SEA, China) earning a ticket to the main event.

Open Qualifiers (Jan 2 & 3, 2026)

• Two Open qualifiers per region
• Single-elimination
• BO1 initial matches, BO3 semi finals
• Both grand finalists advance to the Closed Qualifier

Closed Qualifiers (Jan 4 & 5, 2026)

• 8-team single-elimination per region
• 4 teams from open qualifiers + 4 invites
• All matches are BO3
• Winner qualifies for the Main Event

Americas receives one direct invite slot.

Main event: Dates & format

Week 1 - Online: Groups and Play-Ins

• February 3 - 8
• Talent on-site in Malta with teams playing online
• Group Stage (BO1) + Play-ins (BO3)

Week 2 - Studio LAN: Playoffs

• February 13 - 15
• Studio audience in Malta
• Playoffs played on LAN - quarter and semi-finals are BO3 with the grand final being a BO5.