BLAST Slam unveils major format changes to Dota 2 series

Tournament organiser BLAST has announced major format changes to its BLAST Slam Dota 2 esports circuit.

Changes range from the addition of online matches to extending tournament length as BLAST looks to increase the number of matches being played.

Starting with BLAST Slam IV, taking place in Singapore from November 7th to 9th, a tournament will now run across two weeks and combine online and LAN stages to determine the eventual champion.

Week one will feature all 12 teams competing online and will run from Tuesday to Sunday. Elsewhere, the tournament series has made changes to the group stage format, which will run from Tuesday to Saturday.

The group stage will see the top two qualify for the semi-finals of the LAN event, while the teams that place from third to eighth will earn a place at the LAN Play-In stage. Teams that finish the group stage from ninth to twelfth will compete in the Last-Chance Playoff where only two of the three teams will earn a place at the LAN Play-In.

Week two of the tournament will take place on LAN and will always feature a live audience regardless of location. From Friday to Sunday, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and Grand Final will take place.

In addition to a format change, BLAST has also announced an adjustment to its Dota 2 schedule. Events for the remainder of 2025 and 2026 are as follows:

For upcoming events, two open qualifiers for China, Europe, and Southeast Asia will take place, the finalists from each of the qualifiers will earn a place at the closed qualifier where four invited teams join the teams from the open qualifiers.

The winner of the Chinese and Southeast Asian qualifiers will earn a place at the main event, while both finalists from Europe will advance.