Which groups certified for ESL One Birmingham 2026?

Following the conclusion of 5 regional closed qualifiers, 9 groups have secured a spot on the upcoming ESL One Birmingham 2026 Dota 2 occasion.

Qualifiers for Western Europe, Japanese Europe, the Americas, and Southeast Asia happened between January sixteenth and twentieth, with a number of notable names making it to the primary occasion.

Eight groups competed within the European, South American, and Southeast Asian qualifiers, whereas 4 groups confronted off in North America. The North American qualifier noticed GamerLegion emerge victorious after defeating Rottweilas LATAM 3-2 in a hotly contested best-of-five.

The South American qualifier was a extra one-sided affair, with Peru Rejects taking victory with a 3-0 sweep of HEROIC within the Grand Ultimate. The Peruvian facet solely conceded a single map en path to incomes its place in the primary occasion.

For Western Europe, 4 of the eight groups from the closed qualifier would advance to Birmingham’s bp pulse LIVE enviornment. The Worldwide 2025 champions, Workforce Falcons, defeated Zero Tenacity and NAVI to proceed its sturdy run of kind, whereas Nigma Galaxy navigated its approach via the decrease bracket to qualify.

The pair of Aurora Gaming and BetBoom Workforce made their approach via the Japanese European qualifier. BetBoom remained unbeaten all through, defeating L1GA TEAM, 1w Workforce, and Inside Circle Esports 2-0. Aurora Gaming dropped into the decrease bracket following a defeat to Inside Circle Esports, earlier than avenging its earlier loss within the decrease bracket remaining to e-book its place in one other high-profile LAN.

After dropping into the decrease bracket after defeat in its opening match, REKONIX ran the decrease bracket gauntlet, scoring 4 wins to earn a spot within the Grand Ultimate alongside Execration. REKONIX continued its momentum, scoring a 3-1 win to earn the only qualification spot on provide.

With 4 of the 5 closed qualifiers full, 15 of the 16 groups competing at ESL One Birmingham 2026 are set. The confirmed record of groups is as follows:

The ultimate place will likely be determined via ESL Challenger China, an eight-team occasion going down from January thirtieth to February 1st. That includes the likes of Yakult Brothers and Vici Gaming, groups will compete for a spot in Birmingham together with a share of the $142,000 (~£105,658) prize pool.