PGL Wallachia Season 9 Playoffs preview and predictions

Michael Hassall Published 23/09/2026

PGL Wallachia Season 9 is the first major tournament since the 2025/2026 Dota 2 season came to its conclusion at TI14, and with the roster shuffle still, well, shuffling, and top teams skipping the event while they get things finalized, it’s been an unusual tournament so far.

With some surprising names in the playoffs (especially if you’ve been following the scene for the rest of the year) and the absence of some of the heavy hitters, it’s a difficult prospect to just pick a winner. But we’ve put together a predictions guide to help you through. Here’s our preview of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Playoffs.

PGL Wallachia Season 9 Details

Kicking off Saturday last weekend (Sep. 19) PGL Wallachia Season 9’s frenetic (and delayed) schedule has seen it churn through the Group Stage at lightning pace whittling 16 teams to just eight. The modified Swiss-system stage pushed some surprising names to the playoffs, including perennial NA ne’er do wells Gamer Legion and NAVI.

The odd array of teams in this event has even caused it to be downgraded from a Liquipedia Tier 1 event down to Tier 2, although there are plenty of Tier 1 teams still in the competition.

The event is set to run until Sunday, Sep. 27, with group stage and finals taking up the rest of the week. The winner will pocket $300,000, the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 prize pool, so there’s plenty to play for. And given Wallachia has become an invite-only tournament in recent editions, it’s likely that the top teams will also score an invite to the next event.

PGL Wallachia Season 9 Group Stage Recap

The Group Stage’s Swiss-system format meant that the best teams didn’t face much opposition, with Team Yandex and, surprisingly, Xtreme Gaming going 3-0. The 3-1 teams also had some surprises. We’re convinced Aurora Gaming are a top team, but seeing Natus Vincere (NAVI) and Gamer Legion as top-five seeds is a massive shock.

Team Nemesis, LGD Gaming, and 1w Team round out the survivors, with 1w having another surprisingly weak showing, similar to their TI15 and Esports World Cup performances.

From the eliminated teams, it’s perhaps MOUZ and former Nigma Galaxy stars Conventus Stellarum that are the biggest disappointments. MOUZ had some solid EU cred with its veteran mixed-regional lineup, and Conventus Stellarum’s mix of CIS stalwarts and Nigma’s stars should have performed better, but both missed the cutoff by single game margins. And so we have our playoff lineup.

PGL Wallachia Season 9 Playoff Preview

Image Credit: PGL

Xtreme Gaming vs Nemesis Gaming

This Nemesis Gaming team is a stacked and popular SEA squad, but they might hit a brick wall with an Xtreme Gaming lineup that looks like it’s finally remembered how to play Dota for the first time in months. Xtreme seem to like this late-patch meta, and with some of their big pain points like Treant out of the loop, they’re flourishing. Prediction markets favor XG, and we do too.

Natus Vincere vs. LGD Gaming

A tighter call, but one where the performance during the Group Stage is going to have to do the heavy lifting. LGD lost their heaviest hitter in Topson and while they’re still a solid team (now they’re trying to win), NAVI is the pipeline of CIS talent that has dominated the Dota scene for several years now. We’re picking NAVI.

Aurora Gaming vs. GamerLegion

Aurora Gaming are clear favorites here. We think in any other tournament GamerLegion wouldn’t have gotten this far in the tournament. We love GL, they’re players are hardworking talents far above everyone else in their region, but Aurora Gaming are just a miles better stack.

Team Yandex vs. 1w Team

Just a few months ago, this would have been one of the most evenly matched games of the playoffs, and we’d probably be picking 1w Team. But that star roster that had existed under Tundra has lost its spark under 1w, and the addition of ATF to Yandex has turned a dangerous, talented team into a top-flight contender.

Stick with Win.gg for more Dota 2 and PGL Wallachia Season 9 Coverage.

Featured Image Credit: PGL

Michael Hassall

About Michael Hassall

Michael is a eight-year veteran of the games writing space, but has being playing them for as long as he can remember. With bylines across the internet, he’s used his expertise to cover esports, prediction markets, mainstream gaming, streamers, and more besides.

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