The Tournament: $1,000,000 in Bucharest

PGL Wallachia Season 7 took place from March 7 to 15, 2026 in Bucharest, Romania, featuring 16 top-tier teams from around the world competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool. The tournament used a Swiss-style group stage where all matches were best-of-3, with teams continuing until they recorded three wins or three losses — and the grand final was contested in a best-of-5 format. 

This was also a special occasion for Romanian fans, as the world's best Dota 2 players converged right in their own backyard.

A Champion Without Their Full Roster

The most extraordinary part of Team Yandex's victory? They did it shorthanded.

Going into the tournament, it was unclear whether Yandex would be competitive at all, given the absence of offlaner Evgeniy "Noticed" Ignatenko due to visa issues. Their first series — a 0-2 loss to Heroic — lowered expectations even further. However, the Russian roster warmed up into the competition by defeating PGL Wallachia Season 6 winners MOUZ 2-1, with stand-in Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin filling in from Parivision. 

From that point on, Yandex barely looked back. They dropped only two more games before the Grand Final, defeating Falcons, Parivision, Aurora, Liquid, and BetBoom in the process. 

The Grand Final: A Marathon Day for the Ages

Team Yandex claimed the grand prize of $300,000 by defeating Team Liquid 3-2 in the Grand Final — their second Tier 1 tournament title following their first at DreamLeague Season 27 last December. 

But the story of the final day belongs just as much to Team Liquid, who had to survive an absolutely punishing gauntlet just to reach the Grand Final.

The Lower Bracket Final between BetBoom and Liquid became the second-longest best-of-3 in competitive Dota 2 history, clocking in at 3 hours and 45 minutes. Shortly after that grueling clash, Liquid stepped back into the server to play their 4-hour and 10-minute Grand Final against Yandex — racking up 7 hours and 55 minutes of total in-game time across a 12-hour period. 

The Heroes of the Clinching Game

In the decisive final game, stand-in DM closed out his remarkable tournament stint with 10 kills and 26 assists on Bristleback. He was flanked by CHIRA_JUNIOR's dominant Invoker display of 13 kills and 22 assists, and Watson's near-flawless Luna performance of 8 kills and 25 assists against just one death. Yandex's 42-21 kill total in the 56-minute decider told the full story of a Liquid side running on fumes after their lower bracket marathon. 

Record-Breaking Viewership

The competition wasn't just thrilling inside the server — the world was watching.

PGL Wallachia Season 7 became the second-longest tournament in the series' history, recording 112 hours and 30 minutes of total airtime. This extended duration drove the total watch time to 16 million hours — a new series record that surpassed the previous milestone set during Season 2 by over 1 million hours. 

What's Next: ESL One Birmingham and The Road to TI

The Dota 2 calendar shows no signs of slowing down. The next major event is ESL One Birmingham 2026, running from March 23 to 29  — meaning Team Yandex barely have time to celebrate before they must defend their momentum on the European stage.

Further down the road, The International 2026 will be held in Shanghai, China, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the most prestigious tournament in Dota 2 history — where the legendary Aegis of Champions will once again be up for grabs. 

Conclusion

Team Yandex's victory at PGL Wallachia Season 7 is everything that makes Dota 2 esports special — an incomplete roster, a rocky start, and a comeback for the ages culminating in a championship. With ESL One Birmingham just days away and The International 2026 looming on the horizon, one thing is already clear: Yandex are not just contenders. They are champions.

Short-handed, battle-tested, and crowned. Team Yandex, bow down.