Results of the qualifiers for DreamLeague S28
Last night, almost all participants of the upcoming DreamLeague Season 28 were determined. Six teams received direct invitations to the tournament based on their number of EPT points, eight teams made it through the regional qualifiers, and two more participants will be determined after the conclusion of ESL Challenger China 2026 and DreamLeague Division 2 Season 3.
By EPT points:
Based on the results of the closed qualifiers:
For Western Europe, ESL allocated four slots at once. The first slot went to MOUZ, who were directly invited to the closed qualifiers. Their first opponent was Natus Vincere - the series was not easy, but the «Mice» won with a score of 2-1, sending Natus Vincere to the lower bracket. In the qualifier final, MOUZ faced Team Falcons. The series consisted of three maps: two were played with a clear advantage for one of the sides, and one more turned out to be as close as possible. As a result, MOUZ won 2-1 and advanced to the tournament, while Team Falcons dropped to the lower-bracket final. Notably, previously MOUZ had only managed to beat Team Falcons once - at FISSURE Playground 2, where lorenof played mid as a stand-in, and his play was repeatedly 'praised' by ATF.
The next participant of DreamLeague Season 28 from WEU was Team Liquid, who also received a direct invite to the closed qualifiers. Their first opponent was Nigma Galaxy with a stand-in on carry - Rincyq, but thanks to their experience Team Liquid confidently closed the series 2-0. In the final they were unexpectedly met by Zero Tenacity, who came through the open qualifiers and sensationally defeated Virtus.pro 2-1. Nevertheless, for Team Liquid this opponent did not become a serious obstacle - the team did not lose a single map in the qualifiers and confidently advanced to the main stage of the tournament.
In the lower bracket, Natus Vincere and Team Falcons claimed the two remaining slots, but the lower bracket turned out to be tough: Team Falcons came close to losing to Virtus.pro.
Natus Vincere faced resistance from Team Lynx, but pulled themselves together after the first map and took the series.
For Eastern Europe, only one slot was unexpectedly allocated, and it was taken by the region's main favorite - BetBoom Team. The team went through the upper bracket and in the best-of-five grand final defeated Aurora, who had recently added Ws and Kaori, replacing TORONTOTOKYO and Oli~, with a score of 3-1.
An interesting detail: the third map lasted only 14 minutes, after which BetBoom Team typed «GG» and moved on to the fourth map.
From North America, GamerLegion qualified for the tournament, confidently defeating Rottweilas LATAM 3-0 in the best-of-five final.
In South America, a particularly principled battle unfolded between Heroic and Peru Rejects. The point is that Parker and Scofield, who play for Peru Rejects, had previously been kicked from Heroic. Advancing through the upper bracket and defeating Heroic twice, including a 3-1 win in the final, Peru Rejects secured a slot at DreamLeague Season 28.
The closed qualifiers for DreamLeague Season 28 took place from January 9 to 12 in an online format. Following the results of the qualifiers, the teams earned slots in the main tournament, which will also be played online.