Yandex and Falcons lead BLAST Slam VII as group stage storylines begin to take shape

The first half of BLAST Slam VII’s group stage is complete, and with two more days still left to play, the tournament is already beginning to reveal its early favorites and biggest concerns.

The event’s opening phase features a 12-team best-of-one round-robin format where every placement matters. The top two teams advance directly to the Upper Bracket Semifinals, third and fourth move into the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, fifth and sixth secure safer placement into the second round of the Last Chance Qualifier, while teams placed seventh through tenth must survive an additional elimination round. The remaining teams are sent home immediately.

Right now, the teams setting the pace are Team Yandex and Team Falcons.

Yandex opened the tournament undefeated before finally dropping their final series of Day 2 against Falcons, leaving both teams tied for first place overall. The result only reinforced how far Yandex have come over the past year. What once looked like a promising breakout roster now feels increasingly like one of the most stable and dangerous teams in the scene. And their TI invite proves it.

Falcons, meanwhile, are looking like they might be finally refinding their form before TI despite occasional inconsistencies throughout the season.

Just behind the leaders sits PARIVISION, continuing the form that recently carried them to the DreamLeague Season 29 championship title. The roster has been looking more and more sharp recently, which only made their absence from Valve’s direct TI invite list hurt more.

• Read PARIVISION and Team Spirit sent to qualifier rounds for The International 2026

At the opposite end of the standings sits Xtreme Gaming with just a single victory so far. Their difficult start comes only days after receiving a direct invite to The International 2026, a decision that already sparked speculation throughout parts of the community that they were given special 'regional host' consideration.

• Read The direct invites for The International 2026 have been announced

Just above them are OG, who have also managed only one win despite the excitement surrounding the organization’s return to the scene earlier this year. After an explosive re-entry and promising early momentum, the roster has struggled to maintain consistency against stronger Tier 1 opposition.

Still, with two full days of group stage play remaining and the volatility of a best-of-one format hanging over every match, the standings remain far from locked in.

The action resumes today, May 28th at 10:00 CEST as GLYPH battles PARIVISION and OG go up against BetBoom.

BLAST Slam VII Format

Group Stage

• May 26 - May 29
• 12 teams Bo1 round-robin
• Top two teams advance to Upper Bracket Semifinals
• 3rd and 4th place teams advance to Upper Bracket Quarterfinals
• 5th and 6th place teams proceed to Last Chance Qualifier round 2
• 7th to 10th place teams proceed to Last Chance Qualifier round 1
• Remaining teams are eliminated

Last Chance Qualifier

• May 30
• All matches are Bo3
• Top 2 teams advance to Upper Bracket Quarterfinals
• Remaining teams are eliminated

Playoffs

• June 4 - June 7
• Double-elimination bracket
• All matches are Bo3
• Grand Final is Bo5