ESL Challenger China nets Yakult Brothers two qualifier spots

While Xtreme Gaming secured the victory at ESL Challenger China, Yakult Brothers were the recipients of two qualifier slots.

The January of qualifiers in 2026 for Dota 2 has come to an end, as we begin to head into the main tournaments. ESL China Challenger would see one team claim a spot at both DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham 2026. However, a major caveat was in place. With Xtreme Gaming having already qualified to both events, if they were to win, the second-place team would qualify.

Yakult Brothers survive the lower bracket

ESL Challenger China saw eight Chinese teams fighting it out for a $142,000 prize pool, as well as the chance to reach two separate Dota 2 events. The list of teams included Vici Gaming, Yakult Brothers, Roar Gaming, and Game Master – a stack comprised of many well-known players. However, also in the mix was XG, throwing a spanner into the works. With XG having already qualified to ESL One Birmingham 2026 and DreamLeague Season 28, them winning the tournament would have no consequence, except that the team placing in second would acquire two qualifier slots.

With early scares for both XG and YB, they both managed to make it through to the grand finals. XG suffered a single game loss to Team Refuser, in a 98-minute brawl, but managed to come back and take the series 2-1. For YB, their path took them through the lower bracket, after a first-round defeat by Roar Gaming. Surviving the lower bracket meant taking on Game Master, Refuser, Roar, and VG, and they managed to do so without much effort.

Although the grand finals were not completely one-sided, XG put on a dominant performance over the series. With a solid 3-1 victory, XG secured a big win prior to heading into BLAST Slam VI in just a few days. The tournament, while not necessarily for the winnings, gave the team a bit of experience and practice prior to the string of events that are on the way.

While XG took the win, YB still benefited from this, securing a spot at both DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham. While they will have a few weeks to prepare during the upcoming BLAST event, we could see them cause some chaos in the early events of 2026.