MOBA PC Dota 2 – end of group stage sees four teams sent home

Following an action-packed opening day, the MOBA PC Dota 2 presented by CenterCredit competition at the Games of the Future 2026 powered by Samruk-Kazyna returned on 1 August.

With the opening victories and defeats now behind them, the stakes were significantly higher as clubs returned to The Hood in Astana for another eight best-of-three series. Clubs that won on Day One competed for a place on the main stage, while those that fell short faced elimination, knowing another defeat would bring their tournament to an early end.

The result was another day of high-stakes competition, with qualification and elimination both on the line as the group stage race reached its decisive phase.

Day 2 Results – Group Stage (1 August)

Execration 2-1 Amaru Gaming

Execration kept their Games of the Future 2026 campaign alive with a 2-1 victory over Amaru Gaming in the opening elimination match. Execration controlled the opener, with Mark "Bob" Anthony Urbina leading the way with 22.3k hero damage. Amaru Gaming responded in the second game as Jeanpierre "PiPi" Alonso produced a standout performance, recording 45.4k hero damage, 16 kills and 13 assists to level the series. Execration, however, regained control in the decider to eliminate Amaru Gaming from the competition.

The return to comfort picks proved decisive, with Bryle "CML" Jacob Alvizo of Execration saying: "We're relieved to get the win today because it was a do-or-die match for us. Yesterday we tried some strategies and they didn't work, but today we went back to our comfort heroes, made some adjustments and that helped us get the result."

Midas Club 1-2 Team resilience

Team Resilience recovered from a one-sided opening-match defeat to eliminate Midas Club with a series victory. Despite dominating the first match in one of the most convincing performances of the group stage, Midas Club could not hold on to the lead as Team Resilience responded strongly in the second match, with Ziliang "echozz" Xu turning the momentum. The deciding match belonged to Team Resilience, with Ziliang "echozz" Xu delivering another top performance without suffering a single death as his team secured progression.

Yellow Submarine 0-2 VICI GAMING

VICI GAMING booked their place on the main stage with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Yellow Submarine, topping Group A in the process. The opening match saw a strong all-round team performance, with Xuanang “shiro” Guo leading the way as VICI GAMING controlled proceedings throughout. The second match followed a similar pattern, with Xuanang “shiro” Guo once again topping the scoreboard as VICI GAMING completed another convincing victory to finish the group unbeaten.

Rune Eaters 2-0 PlayTime

Rune Eaters secured top spot in Group B with a 2-0 victory over PlayTime, guaranteeing the host city club a place on the main stage. After a comfortable opening-match win, Rune Eaters found themselves under pressure early in the second but gradually worked their way back into the contest. A series of decisive team fights swung the momentum in their favor before they closed out another impressive victory.

Confidence in the team's approach was key, with Abdimalik "Malik" Sailau of Rune Eaters saying: "I think it was expected that we would finish top of the group. We knew PlayTime had some challenges, especially with communication, so we believed we had the advantage. I always believe in my teammates, and I think we had good drafts in both matches, so we were confident we could win."

Enjoy 1-2 Yakult Brothers

Yakult Brothers kept their Games of the Future 2026 campaign alive with a hard-fought victory over Enjoy in an elimination series. Lou "Lou" Zhen led the way in the opening match, topping the hero damage charts as Yakult Brothers took an early lead. Enjoy responded with a stronger draft to edge the second match and force a decider, but Yakult Brothers regained control in the third, with Lou "Lou" Zhen again proving decisive to secure progression despite his side finishing with fewer kills overall.

L1GA TEAM 1-2 LGD.Pinghu

LGD.Pinghu survived a tense elimination series to defeat L1GA TEAM 2-1 and secure progression. L1GA TEAM controlled much of the opening match and finished with more kills, but LGD.Pinghu made the most of their opportunities, with Adrian "Wisper" Dobles leading the way after dealing 61.8k hero damage. L1GA TEAM levelled the series behind a standout display from Miras "Mirage" Mutan, but LGD.Pinghu held their nerve to edge the decider and advance despite again finishing with fewer kills than their opponents.

Thiago "Thiolicor" Cordeiro of LGD.Pinghu said: "We trusted the heroes we had practiced, and even when things didn't go our way, we found a way to make our draft work. L1GA TEAM is a really good team, so we're happy to come away with the win."

GLYPH 2-0 Zero Tenacity

GLYPH secured top spot in the group with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Zero Tenacity, booking a direct place in the quarterfinals on 3 August. After another controlled opening match, Souliya "JACKBOYS" Khoomphetsavong continued his outstanding form from the first day, finishing the second match with 16 kills and just two deaths. The result sets up a quarterfinal against the winner of PlayTime and Execration.

REKONIX 0-2 Xtreme Gaming

Xtreme Gaming secured top spot in Group D with a commanding 2-0 victory over REKONIX, sealing direct qualification for the quarterfinals on 3 August. The opening match was controlled from start to finish, before Jin Xiang "NothingToSay" Cheng starred in the second with 37.9k hero damage, 14 kills and 16 assists to lead Xtreme Gaming to another convincing win. The result sends Xtreme Gaming straight to the main stage, while REKONIX will have one final opportunity to reach the quarterfinals when they face Yakult Brothers in tomorrow's knockout round.

Key Takeaways

The Dota 2 competition moves to the Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace tomorrow for four knockout best-of-three series, with quarterfinal places on the line. PlayTime faces Execration, Yellow Submarine takes on Team Resilience, Yakult Brothers meets REKONIX, and LGD.Pinghu will face Zero Tenacity.

The four winners will progress to the quarterfinals on 3 August, joining VICI GAMING, Rune Eaters, GLYPH and Xtreme Gaming, who secured direct qualification after topping their respective groups. With the US$1 million prize pool and the Games of the Future 2026 title still on the line, the eight remaining clubs move one step closer to being crowned MOBA PC Dota 2 champions. Meanwhile, the Games of the Future 2026 campaigns of Amaru Gaming, Midas Club, Enjoy and L1GA TEAM came to an end following today's elimination matches.

Where to watch

Catch every moment of the Games of the Future 2026 live on Phygital+, with full coverage, replays and exclusive behind-the-scenes content available throughout the tournament.