PGL Wallachia Season 8 Esports tournament preview: Who will lift trophy in Bucharest?
In this 1xBet review, we break down everything Dota 2 fans can expect from the PGL Wallachia Season 8.
PGL Wallachia Season 8 format and participants
The tournament will be held at PGL Studio in Bucharest from April 16 to 26. In the opening stage, 16 invited teams compete in a Swiss-system, Bo3 format, with the top eight advancing to the playoffs. In the final stage, teams battle for the title in a standard double-elimination bracket, and the grand final is traditionally played as a Bo5. The total prize pool is $1,000,000, with $300,000 awarded to the winner.
For Season 8, PGL opted to skip qualifiers, instead sending direct invites to the teams they considered the strongest. So, the tournament operator selected the following teams: Aurora, BetBoom, GamerLegion, HEROIC, MOUZ, NAVI, paiN Gaming, PARIVISION, Falcons, Liquid, Spirit, Yandex, Tundra, Vici, Xtreme Gaming, and Virtus.pro.
Initially, OG was invited to the tournament, but due to visa issues, the entire Filipino roster, Natsumi, Yopaj, Nikko, TIMS, and skem, withdrew, and Virtus.pro took its place.
PGL Wallachia Season 8 favorites
With all the top-tier teams arriving in Bucharest, there will be plenty of title contenders. However, let’s highlight 5 teams with the best chances of winning PGL Wallachia Season 8.
- Tundra Esports
Having a strong start to the season, the team won DreamLeague Season 28 and ESL One Birmingham 2026. Tundra Esports currently leads the ESL Pro Tour rankings. The organization’s driving force is carry Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko, supported by the experienced two-time winner of The International, Neta “33” Shapira. The team has been playing exceptionally well this season, and rightfully sits at the top of the favorites list.
- Team Yandex
This young team was formed in mid-2025, but by the end of the year, had already secured its first major title – DreamLeague Season 27. This season, it finished third at BLAST Slam VI, second at ESL One Birmingham 2026, and won PGL Wallachia Season 7. The status of Wallachia Series champion and a strong performance against top-ranked Tundra Esports in the ESL One Birmingham 2026 final gave the team a significant confidence boost and excellent chances of securing a second consecutive victory.
- Team Liquid
Despite its inconsistent results in recent tournaments, Team Liquid remains a formidable side, capable of stepping up when it matters. That was particularly evident at BLAST Slam VI, where the organization claimed the title. With two championships to its name, the team possesses a true winner’s mentality, giving it a good chance of success at PGL Wallachia Season 8.
- Team Falcons
Falcons haven’t been particularly impressive this season, but their status as the reigning The International 2025 champions and runners-up at the Esports World Cup 2025 speaks for itself. In addition, the roster remains unchanged for two years, so the team chemistry is something any other participant in the upcoming tournament would envy.
- Xtreme Gaming
Completing our top five is Xtreme Gaming, featuring the main star of the Chinese scene, Wang “Ame” Chunyu. While the team hasn’t been the most dominant, it has shown consistent results this season and currently sits third in the ESL Pro Tour rankings. Quite possibly, this will be the deciding factor on its path to the title.
Also worth keeping an eye on are NAVI and Team Spirit. Both will be playing with stand-ins: daze recently replaced Zayak as captain, while Team Spirit will be without Collapse due to personal reasons, with Batyuk stepping in for the tournament. These changes may hurt their winning chances, but neither team should be written off.
Follow the top tournament, PGL Wallachia Season 8, with 1xBet Philippines legit, never mind the 1xBet complaints, and you’ll have an exceptional experience!
