ChaiViz
13.07.2026
Six days of round-robin Dota 2 in Paris have produced four direct playoff qualifiers, one of the dota 2 ongoing tournament's biggest upsets in recent memory, and a Survival Stage bracket that will eliminate eight more teams before the quarterfinals begin on July 16. The dust has settled on the group stage, and the field of 24 has already been cut to 16. Now those 16 teams learn their fate on July 14.
Before the Survival Stage gets underway, head over to our Pick'ems section, and make your selection for who makes it through to the quarterfinals.
Here is the full breakdown of how the group stage finished and who we are backing to reach the playoffs.
The group ended largely as expected at the top. Team Falcons finished as the top seed with a dominant 9-1 record, sweeping Xtreme Gaming on the final day to confirm their direct playoff berth. The defending TI champions looked shaky in patches, they had their backs against the wall against Rune Eaters at one point, requiring a 52-minute comeback to deny the upset, but the wins kept coming. BetBoom finished as the second seed with an 8-2 standing, taking down GamerLegion in a 2-0 sweep to close out their group stage campaign. The big surprise was Rune Eaters, who bagged the third seed with a respectable 5-5 record, including surprising 1-1 draws with both BetBoom and Xtreme Gaming.
This group delivered the story of the tournament. The biggest surprise of the entire event was Nigma Galaxy snatching the number one spot, finishing 9-1 and beating out Aurora Gaming for the direct playoff berth. Lorenof has been playing some outstanding Dota, and SumaiL's aggressive carry style has been working to devastating effect, highlighted by a miraculous 29,000-gold comeback against PlayTime. Aurora finished second, Liquid third, and PlayTime fourth, with all three heading into Survival.
This group belonged to PARIVISION from start to finish. PARIVISION finished their group stage run with a 9-1 record, with Puppey's squad making light work of the group before finally facing a worthy opponent in Team Spirit on the final day, a series that ended in a 1-1 draw. Noticed, the team's newest recruit, averaged a 16.92 KDA across ten maps. Team Spirit finished second and MOUZ third, both advancing to Survival.
Or the group that saw Team Yandex pull off a stunning final-day reversal. The Group D gauntlet was populated by strong competition, and Yandex's final series against 1W was a treat to watch, in Game 2 they were completely outpaced in the laning stage, the game looking all but over within the first ten minutes, yet they stayed patient and found the solutions to complete the comeback. Yandex took the group with a 9-1 record. 1W finished second, LGD third, and OG fourth.
The four direct playoff qualifiers:
Team Falcons, Nigma Galaxy, PARIVISION, Team Yandex
The Survival Stage runs July 14 to 15 as a cross-seeded single-elimination bracket. Twelve teams are involved, drawn from across all four groups. Round 1 is 3rd seed vs 4th seed in a Bo3. The four R1 winners then face the four 2nd seeds in another Bo3. Four teams survive to join the four group winners in the playoff quarterfinals. One bad series and the tournament is over.
The bracket as drawn:
R1: LGD Gaming vs MOUZ, Vici Gaming vs PlayTime, Team Liquid vs Xtreme Gaming, Rune Eaters vs Virtus.pro
R2: BetBoom Team vs LGD/MOUZ winner, 1W vs Vici/PlayTime winner, Team Spirit vs Liquid/XG winner, Aurora Gaming vs Rune Eaters/VP winner
BetBoom enter Survival as one of the more comfortable 2nd seeds in the bracket. They finished Group A with an 8-2 record and have been one of the more consistent rosters throughout the tournament. In R2 they face whoever emerges from LGD Gaming vs MOUZ, neither of which is a team BetBoom should fear. LGD had a solid group stage but are operating below the level of the top EPT invitees, and MOUZ have shown inconsistency across their EWC run. BetBoom's season-long form, combined with a favorable R2 draw, makes them a strong pick to reach the quarterfinals.
Prediction: BetBoom Team advance
1W finished the group stage as arguably the most complete second seed in the bracket. They went 9-1 on the way to finishing behind Yandex only on the final day, and their level of play across the group stage has been among the highest in the field. Their R2 opponent will be the winner of Vici Gaming vs PlayTime, a series between two teams well below 1W's tier. PlayTime have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, but a Bo3 against 1W is a different proposition entirely.
The former Tundra Esports roster has been building toward a result like this all season. Nothing in the Survival bracket should stop them.
Prediction: 1W advance
Team Liquid's path is the most demanding of our four picks, requiring two wins. In R1 they face Xtreme Gaming, a side that struggled to find consistency throughout the group stage, dropping points to weaker opponents they should have swept. Liquid at their best are a level above XG, and a Bo3 gives them the format they need to demonstrate it.
Win that, and they face Team Spirit in R2. Spirit finished second in Group C and remain the defending EWC champions, so this is not a soft ask. But Liquid have faced and beaten teams of Spirit's caliber across multiple seasons, and miCKe, Nisha, and Boxi are all players who raise their performance in high-stakes elimination matches. The defending champions will make it competitive, but Liquid's individual quality and depth should see them through.
Prediction: Team Liquid advance
Aurora Gaming drew one of the kinder R2 matchups in the bracket. After finishing second in Group B with a strong 7-1 record, they wait for the winner of Rune Eaters vs Virtus.pro. Rune Eaters had an excellent group stage by their own standards, picking up draws against BetBoom and Xtreme, but a Bo3 against Aurora is well outside what they have shown they can handle. Virtus.pro had a disappointing tournament and will need a significant turnaround just to get past the first round.
Aurora have been one of the most consistent teams in the 2026 season, finishing second at DreamLeague S28 and PGL Wallachia S8 before arriving in Paris in strong form. Their path through Survival is the most manageable of any team in the field. Expect them to close it out cleanly.
Prediction: Aurora Gaming advance
BetBoom Team, 1W, Team Liquid, and Aurora Gaming. Lock them in on GoCore before the bracket opens on July 14. The Survival Stage is single-elimination Bo3, one dropped series ends any of these runs before the playoffs even start. Check your picks, watch the bracket, and see who joins Falcons, Nigma Galaxy, PARIVISION, and Team Yandex in the quarterfinals.
ChaiViz
13.07.2026
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