OG and NAVI crash out of DreamLeague Season 28, Aurora Gaming lead the race

DreamLeague Season 28 Group Stage 1 concluded with the elimination of several previous tournament frontrunners.

Dota 2’s DreamLeague Season 28 concluded its five-day round-robin Group Stage earlier today with a series of shocking losses and eliminations–most notably the early exits of OG and Natus Vincere, as well as Team Yandex, all of whom were frontrunners at the recently concluded BLAST Slam VI.

The ongoing online tournament began with 16 of the world’s best teams, which were swiftly halved following the first Group Stage.

Leading the race is Aurora Gaming, who secured the most wins in Group A, followed by PARIVISION, Team Liquid, and BetBoom Team. Meanwhile, Group B saw MOUZ, Tundra Esports, Team Falcons, and Xtreme Gaming advance.

The eliminated teams finish outside the top eight with the final placements listed as follows:

9th–10th: OG, NAVI
11th–12th: Team Yandex, Team Spirit
13th–14th: paiN Gaming, GamerLegion
15th–16th: Yakult Brothers, Execration

A sharp decline for OG, NAVI, and Yandex

DreamLeague Season 28 signalled the revamped OG’s first significant stumble after consistently finishing in the Top 6 this season. Despite posting a respectable Group Stage record, OG ultimately lost a crucial tiebreaker against BetBoom Team and were eliminated. The result stands in stark contrast to their Top 4 finish at BLAST Slam VI, which concluded just four days ago.

A similar story unfolded for NAVI. The team had topped the Group Stage at BLAST Slam VI and secured a runner-up finish–the organisation’s best result since 2020. However, NAVI failed to carry that momentum into DreamLeague Season 28 and exited early, earning barely enough points to contend for advancement.

Team Yandex also experienced an unexpected downturn. Prior to this event, the newly formed roster had not placed below the Top 3 all season, even winning the previous DreamLeague in December. Likely impacted by the absence of their offlaner, Evgeniy “Noticed” Ignatenko, Yandex were unable to perform at full capacity and crashed out of the Group Stage without securing a single series victory.

Team Spirit’s elimination came as another surprise, despite the team’s visibly declining form in recent events. The two-time International champions have struggled to regain stability following the hiatus of captain Yaroslav “Miposhka” Naidenov, the departure of coach Silent. earlier this season, plus the current extended break of midlaner Denis “Larl” Sigitov. Nevertheless, many had expected star players Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk and Magomed “Collapse” Khalilov to have shouldered the impact.

Aurora Gaming start DreamLeague Season 28 strong

Aurora Gaming finished DreamLeague Season 28 Group Stage 1 with the best score (Image: PGL)

On the other hand, Aurora Gaming have been in exceptional form, notably with Ukrainian talent Artem “Lorenof” Melnick standing in for Mikoto in the mid lane. The team currently boasts a 28-match winning streak, built across their FISSURE Universe Episode 8 campaign, DreamLeague Division 2 Season 3, and the current event’s Group Stage 1.

With a 5–2–0 win–draw–loss record, Aurora topped Group A, finishing ahead of PARIVISION, Liquid, and BetBoom. The team will continue to compete without Rafli Fathur “Mikoto” Rahman while he finalises visa approvals for upcoming LAN events.

DreamLeague Season 28 Group Stage 2 begins

There is no rest for the wicked–the remaining eight teams will soon begin the next phase of their Group Stage journey. This second round-robin will feature a single group format. The top two teams will secure places in the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs, while the 3rd-4th placed teams will begin their campaign in the Lower Bracket. The bottom four teams will be eliminated.