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Who’s in, who’s out: DreamLeague Season 28 trims the field to eight
After several days of volatile group play, early roster drama, and shifting momentum swings, DreamLeague Season 28 has officially reached its halfway cut. The opening stage was designed to thin the field before the second group phase begins tomorrow.
The opening stage claimed several high-profile names, reinforcing just how unstable the current Tier 1 field has become. In a format where every series matters, slow starts proved costly and mid-table inconsistency left little room for recovery.
It came as little surprise when paiN Gaming became the first team eliminated from the event. The organization made the decision to bench carry David “Parker” Nicho Flores after just two series that ended in back-to-back 0–2 losses. paiN attempted to stabilize with stand-in Aliaksei “Smiling Knight” Svirydau, but despite flashes of improvement, the roster closed out the stage with a 3–11 record. While disappointing, they were not alone at the bottom — Yakult Brothers finished with the same scoreline, and Execration fared even worse at 2–12.
On the opposite end of the standings, Aurora Gaming topped the group in commanding fashion with a 12–2 record. They stormed through the early rounds undefeated and did not drop a series until their fourth day, when they ran into PARIVISION. A later loss to Yandex marked their only other stumble, leaving Aurora as the clear pace-setters heading into the second stage.
OG and BetBoom Team were forced into a tiebreaker to decide the final spot in Group Stage 2 and determine whose DreamLeague run would end. The series went the distance, culminating in a tense, hour-long decider that kept elimination hanging over every fight. Ultimately, it was BetBoom who seized the final victory and spot.
Qualified for DreamLeague Season 28 Group Stage 2
The following teams have secured their place in the second group stage:
- Aurora Gaming (Division 2 Season 3)
- PARIVISION (EPT Leaderboard)
- Team Liquid (EU qualifier)
- MOUZ (EU qualifier)
- Tundra Esports (EPT Leaderboard)
- Team Falcons (WEU qualifier)
- Xtreme Gaming (EPT Leaderboard)
- BetBoom Team (EEU qualifier)
What changes in DreamLeague Season 28 Group Stage 2
With the field reduced to eight teams, the second group stage resets the stakes. Records are wiped, matchups tighten, and only the four strongest performers will progress to playoffs. The margin for error shrinks considerably — especially for teams that scraped through, or BetBoom who squeaked in through tiebreakers.
Group Stage 2
- February 21 - February 27
- One single round-robin group of eight teams
- All matches are Bo3
- Top two teams advance to the upper bracket of the playoffs
- 3rd and 4th place teams advance to the lower bracket of the playoffs
- Remaining teams are eliminated
DreamLeague Season 28 resumes tomorrow with the remaining contenders fighting for playoff positioning. Team Liquid will go head-to-head with Xtreme Gaming at 11:30 CET.