Patryk Stachowiak
PGL Wallachia Season 9 begins on September 19 and it is the first big Dota 2 event on the calendar after The International 2026. Sixteen invited teams, one trophy, and a $1,000,000 prize pool to divide. The money split is the part most fans check first, so we put the full breakdown here along with the roster of participants.
The $1,000,000 Prize Pool Breakdown
A million dollars has become the standard number for PGL Wallachia events, and Season 9 keeps it. The distribution is the classic PGL shape: heavy at the top, with every single team walking away with something. Finishing dead last still pays $10,000, while the champion takes $300,000, thirty percent of the whole pool.
| Place | Participant | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBD | $300,000 |
| 2 | TBD | $175,000 |
| 3 | TBD | $120,000 |
| 4 | TBD | $80,000 |
| 5-6 | TBD | $60,000 |
| 7-8 | TBD | $40,000 |
| 9-11 | TBD | $20,000 |
| 12-14 | TBD | $15,000 |
| 15-16 | TBD | $10,000 |
Look at the gap between first and second: $125,000 separates them. That single jump is worth more than the combined earnings of every team placing 12th through 16th. The drop from 4th to the 5-6 bracket is softer, only $20,000, which means the quarterfinal round carries less financial weight than the semis. Teams fighting to avoid the 9-11 group are effectively playing for a $20,000 swing per series.
Who Is Playing
All sixteen slots were filled by direct invitation from the organizers. The lineup mixes familiar Tier-1 names with squads that most casual viewers will be meeting for the first time.
- 1w Team
- Aurora Gaming
- Conventus Stellarum
- GamerLegion
- Hokori
- LGD Gaming
- MOUZ
- Natus Vincere
- Pibbles Corp
- Pipsqueak+4
- PlayTime
- Team Cobra
- Team Nemesis
- Team Y
- Xtreme Gaming
- Yakult Brothers
The pedigree sits with Xtreme Gaming, LGD Gaming, Natus Vincere, MOUZ and Aurora Gaming. Names like Pipsqueak+4, Team Y and Conventus Stellarum are the wildcards, and honestly, post-TI events are exactly where wildcards do damage. Rosters shuffle, veterans take breaks, stand-ins appear. We think the bottom half of this bracket is far less predictable than the seeding would suggest.
Why the Post-TI Timing Matters
Being the first major after The International 2026 cuts both ways. Some teams arrive with fresh rosters they have barely scrimmed together. Others arrive still sharp from Seattle. For bettors that creates real value on underdogs, because pre-tournament odds tend to lean on last season’s reputations rather than the players actually sitting in the chairs. If you are new to reading Dota 2 markets, our guide to betting on sports covers the basics, and unfamiliar terms are unpacked in the sports betting glossary.
What We Are Watching
The $300,000 top prize is the headline, but the interesting story is in the middle of the table. Nine teams will finish between 5th and 11th, collecting somewhere between $20,000 and $60,000. For organizations without TI money behind them, that difference decides whether the trip was profitable. Expect aggressive drafts from the smaller names early, because a single upset in the group stage can be worth a full bracket tier.
The TipsGG editorial desk view: Xtreme Gaming and Aurora Gaming look like the safest bets for a deep run, but we would not touch outright markets until the first day of games confirms which rosters showed up in form.
Our standards for coverage and how we rate events are laid out in our editorial policy. If you plan to wager on Season 9, read up on your rights as a player first and always gamble responsibly.
PGL Wallachia Season 9 opens September 19 with all sixteen teams locked in and the full $1,000,000 on the table.