Dota 2 opens with eight intense group stage battles
The MOBA PC Dota 2 presented by CenterCredit competition got underway at the Games of the Future 2026 powered by Samruk Kazyna on 31 July, as 16 elite clubs began their campaigns in the opening round of group stage matches.
Hosted in a LAN setting at The Hood in Astana, the opening day featured eight best-of-three series packed with bold hero picks, tactical battles and standout individual performances. From established Dota 2 professionals to rising prospects, the competitors wasted no time showing their quality.
By the end of the opening round, eight clubs had secured their first victories of the tournament to take an early group stage advantage, while the remaining sides will look to bounce back as play continues tomorrow.
Day 1 Results - Group Stage (31 July)
Team line-ups:
Match 1 - Yellow Submarine vs Execration
Yellow Submarine: bottega, kae, Rain, sematary, Xakoda
Execration: Akashi, Bob, CML, Shanks, TinoMatch 2 - Rune Eaters vs Midas Club
Rune Eaters: qik, Malik, naive-, Nicky`Cool, xsvampire
Midas Club: 4nalog, Lelis, MidOne, Smiling Knight, yamichMatch 3 - VICI GAMING vs Amaru Gaming
VICI GAMING: Bach, shiro, XinQ, Xm, Y`
Amaru Gaming: Genek, K1, Oscar, Panda, PiPiMatch 4 - Team resilience vs PlayTime
Team resilience: echozz, niu, planet, YSR-04E, zzq
PlayTime: Abed, Elmisho, Jabz, Scofield, WitsMatch 5 - Enjoy vs GLYPH
Enjoy: Rein, squadl1x, swedenstrong, vlolent, мистер мораль
GLYPH: JACKBOYS, Jhocam, NARMAN, sanctity-, zealMatch 6 - L1GA TEAM vs REKONIX
L1GA TEAM: Corrupted, Mirage雨, RESPECT, sayuw, ssnovv1
REKONIX: dalul, Fbz, inYourdreaM, jikroy, VarizhMatch 7 - Yakult Brothers vs Zero Tenacity
Yakult Brothers: Emo, kaka, Lou, 天命, 顶羽
Zero Tenacity: Miksa, MoOz, mrls, nesfeer, WorickMatch 8 - Xtreme Gaming vs LGD.Pinghu
Xtreme Gaming: Ame, fy, NothingToSay, xNova, XXS
LGD.Pinghu: KingJungles, LaiLung, Thiolicor, Wisper, Yuma
Yellow Submarine 2-0 Execration
Yellow Submarine opened its Games of the Future 2026 campaign with a 2:0 victory over Execration in the opening Group A fixture, with internationally experienced Dota 2 players, Xakoda and Shanks going head-to-head. The first match looked firmly in Yellow Submarine's control before Execration mounted a spirited fightback and briefly threatened to turn the contest around. The second match was a much closer affair, but Yellow Submarine consistently held the upper hand to complete a convincing series victory.
Rune Eaters 2-0 Midas Club
Rune Eaters made a strong opening statement with a 2:0 victory over Midas Club in the opening Group B fixture. As the only team from Kazakhstan competing in the MOBA PC Dota 2 discipline, Rune Eaters spent much of the first match on the back foot before gradually wresting control to complete an impressive turnaround. They then produced the most dominant performance of the day so far in the second match, wrapping up the quickest match among the opening four fixtures to secure a convincing victory.
The comeback was built on a key adjustment during the first match, with Abdimalik "Malik" Sailau of Rune Eaters saying: "Midway through the first game, we realized that if we could find Ringmaster and take him down, the fights would become much easier. We delayed the game until we reached that point, and after that we were able to win the team fights."
VICI GAMING 2-1 Amaru Gaming
VICI GAMING recovered from dropping the opening match to defeat Amaru Gaming 2-1, in one of the closest series of the opening round. Amaru Gaming looked in control after a confident first-match victory, but VICI GAMING responded impressively, making key adjustments to level the series before carrying that momentum into the deciding match to complete the comeback.
Team resilience 0-2 PlayTime
After a comfortable opening-match victory, PlayTime looked on course for another straightforward win before Team resilience mounted a strong challenge in the second match. With the series appearing destined for a deciding third match, PlayTime turned the contest around in the closing minutes to complete the sweep. The result marked a strong start for a squad featuring two new additions to its roster.
Yelsthin "Elmisho" Brayan Verde Hurtado of PlayTime said: "We have two different players now, so we have more options when it comes to our hero picks, and we're feeling great about that. In the second match, we always knew we had our win condition with [hero character] Enigma. We just needed to win one team fight, and we knew that would be enough to win the game."
Enjoy 0-2 GLYPH
GLYPH defeated Enjoy 2-0 in a series that featured two vastly different matches. The opening match was a dominant display from GLYPH, with Souliya "JACKBOYS" Khoomphetsavong finishing without a single death as the team controlled the action from start to finish. GLYPH then fought back from the brink of defeat in the second match to complete the sweep after a hard-fought 51-minute contest.
GLYPH's patience paid off in the second match, with Nicholas "Zeal" Eng Han Lim of GLYPH saying: "The Spectre pick was a risk, but we knew it would pay off later in the game. We stayed patient, trusted our game plan, and it worked out in the end."
L1GA TEAM 1-2 REKONIX
REKONIX claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over L1GA TEAM in a series that saw momentum swing throughout.
REKONIX controlled the opening match before L1GA TEAM responded with a dominant performance of its own to level the series. The deciding match proved to be a closely contested battle that could have gone either way, but REKONIX edged the victory after the longest match of the day, lasting about 70 minutes.
Yakult Brothers 0-2 Zero Tenacity
Zero Tenacity made an impressive start with a 2-0 victory over Yakult Brothers, delivering one of the most commanding performances of the opening day. Regarded as one of the competition's dark horses, Zero Tenacity controlled both matches from start to finish to secure a deserved victory. They will now look to build on that momentum tomorrow as they continue to establish themselves as one of the tournament's breakout teams.
The team's preparation proved decisive, said MoOzof Zero Tenacity: "We prepared really well for the draft and had a clear plan that surprised Yakult Brothers. The second match was more even, but we adapted well and that made the difference. We were also really happy with our hero picks and got everything we wanted."
Xtreme Gaming 2-1 LGD.Pinghu
Xtreme Gaming closed out the opening day with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over LGD.Pinghu in the most anticipated series of the opening round. Featuring two of the biggest names in the competition, the series lived up to expectations as Xtreme Gaming took the opening match before LGD.Pinghu responded to level the score. The deciding match remained finely balanced for long periods, but Xtreme Gaming eventually pulled away to secure victory and set up a winners' clash with REKONIX tomorrow.
All resultsKey Takeaways
The group stage continues tomorrow with another eight best-of-three series as the pressure begins to build across all four groups. Execration faces Amaru Gaming, Midas Club takes on Team Resilience, Enjoy meets Yakult Brothers, and L1GA TEAM will face LGD.Pinghu, with the defeated club in each matchup becoming the first to be eliminated from the tournament.
The day's winners' matches will see Yellow Submarine face VICI GAMING, Rune Eaters take on PlayTime, GLYPH meet Zero Tenacity, and REKONIX will play Xtreme Gaming, with victory in each matchup securing a place on the main stage.
Where to watch
Whether you're cheering from the stands or following from the other side of the world, Phygital+ is the home of the Games of the Future 2026. Subscribers can enjoy live coverage of every discipline, full event and day-pass access, video-on-demand replays, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content throughout the tournament.
Alongside Phygital+, the Games of the Future 2026 is being broadcast by leading media partners across the globe, including Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico), StarTimes (Africa), BIGG TV (France/Worldwide), ESR TV (USA/Worldwide), Play TV (Brazil), Unbeaten (Australia) and QazSport (Kazakhstan), ensuring fans around the world can follow the action as it unfolds.
