DreamLeague Season 28 esports tournament preview: Can Team Spirit claim their third league title?
The winners of DreamLeague Season 27 were Team Yandex, who defeated the main favorites, Team Spirit, in the grand final. Will the latter take revenge on their rivals in DreamLeague Season 28, or will other Dota 2 squads step into the fight for the title? Find out in this 1xBet review.
Tournament format
The DreamLeague Season 28 esports tournament, featuring a $1,000,000 prize pool, will be held online from February 16 to March 1:
- February 16-19 – first group stage
- February 20-27 – second group stage
- February 28 - March 1 – playoffs
In the first group stage, 16 teams will be divided into two equal groups, with the top four squads from each group advancing. In the second group stage, eight teams will compete for four playoff spots. The top two participants will advance directly to the upper-bracket final, while the squads finishing third and fourth will start the playoffs from the lower-bracket semifinals.
Tournament participants
The DreamLeague Season 28 organizers have directly invited six teams:
- Team Yandex
- Team Spirit
- PARIVISION
- Xtreme Gaming
- OG
- Tundra Esports
Another ten squads entered the tournament through regional qualifiers:
- MOUZ, Team Liquid, NAVI, and Team Falcons (Western Europe)
- BetBoom Team (Eastern Europe)
- Yakult Brothers (China)
- Execration (Southeast Asia)
- GamerLegion (North America)
- paiN Gaming (South America)
The final slot will be decided in the DreamLeague Division 2 Season 3 final. Six teams are competing for it, but Aurora Gaming has the best chance, having won all seven group-stage matches. During the offseason, the squad refreshed its roster, replacing TORONTOTOKYO and Oli with Ws and kaori. The new lineup has already made a statement by winning FISSURE Universe: Episode 8, defeating the renowned Team Spirit in the final.
Those who followed that tournament already know the answer to the question, “Who does 1xBet sponsor?” After all, Aurora Gaming's jerseys are adorned with the logo of this international betting brand!
Top favorites
DreamLeague Season 28 is only the second major Dota 2 competition of the current season after BLAST Slam VI, so the teams are just starting to find their form. Even so, we can already highlight the top five contenders for the title:
- Team Spirit
- Team Yandex
- Team Falcons
- NAVI
- OG
The clear favorites are Team Spirit, who triumphed in DreamLeague Seasons 21 and 25, as well as claimed silver in the most recent season. Champions of The International 2021, The International 2023, and the Esports World Cup 2025, they remain a truly formidable force despite the departures of Mira and Miposhka. The legendary trio of Yatoro, Larl, and Collapse is still more than capable of tearing through the competition.
PARIVISION, led by young talent Satanic, is always expected to deliver strong performances, so don't be put off by the team's failure to make our Top 5. PaiN Gaming also deserves attention after acquiring the elite Peru Rejects roster in early February, featuring Parker, DarkMago, Frank, Scofield, Elmisho, and their coach, Vintage. And, of course, all Filipino Dota 2 fans will be passionately rooting for our squad Execration and its players – Palos, Bob, Tino, Shanks, and cml!
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