ESL One Birmingham Finals 2026 predictions, picks and odds

Michael Hassall Published March 29, 2026

We’re entering the final day of ESL One Birmingham, and after a week of turmoil, surprise patches, and upsets, the finals are on the horizon.

It’s down to just three teams, Tundra Esports, Xtreme Gaming, and Team Yandex. Only one can raise the ESL One trophy and claim the $250,000 winners prize, and the crucial EPT points. But who will triumph and who will be left by the wayside. Here’s our predictions and picks on Finals day of ESL One Birmingham.

ESL One Birmingham Finals current odds

Here are the current straight up odds for ESL One Birmingham finals day, including the Lower Bracket Finals

Image Credit: ESL FACEIT Group

ESL One Birmingham 2026 Playoff recap

It’s been a fantastic tournament so far, partly due to the shakeup of two patches and surprising upsets in the playoff bracket. The biggest story, perhaps, has been Xtreme Gaming, who’ve shocked PARIVISION and Team Spirit to earn their spot in the Lower Bracket Finals.

If you’ve been paying attention to competitive Dota 2 for a while, seeing a Chinese team make a podium push in 2026 is certainly surprising. The region just hasn’t recovered from its late DPC decline and seemingly only makes the occasional miracle run, such as at TI14, and now. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, it’s Xtreme Gaming again, who are becoming upset merchants of the highest order.

But blocking their path to lifting the trophy are arguably the two teams who have best adapted to the patch: Team Yandex and Tundra Esports. More than any other team, Yandex and Tundra seem to ‘get’ the 7.41 patch. The lane pressure, the rotations, and crucially, the hero picks, have all been on point. What’s more, they’ve quickly adapted to nerfs that came out just days after the initial patch.

Patch 7.41a

While releasing a patch during a tournament is already a crazy move, only Valve would be so bold as to release another one just two days later. The 7.41a patch dropped on Friday evening (March 27), fixing some of the most broken elements, but keeping much of the main changes intact.

The biggest nerfs? Perhaps Alchemist and Doom. The two biggest winners of the 7.41 patch are still strong, but not quite as broken as they were after the new patch. Still, the most impactful element is that there has never before been a main patch and a letter patch during a single event in Dota 2 history. The adaptation of the teams to manage to keep up with this many changes is incredible.

PARIVISION were upset by Xtreme Gaming who advanced to the final three. Image Credit: ESL FACEIT Group

Finals predictions and picks

With the previous performances taken into account.

• In the Lower Bracket Finals, Xtreme Gaming are the favorites, having upset multiple teams on the way to this spot in the tournament. Yandex, having fallen 0-2 to Tundra just a day before, seem likely to be unable to stop the raw talent of Wang “Ame” Chunyu.
• Heading into the Grand Finals, it’s unlikely that anyone can stop Tundra Esports at this point. 33, Ari, Whitemon, are playing beyond all expectations, and that’s before you take into account the incredible carry play of Pure and BZM. More than that, they’re the ‘home team’ here, with chants for Ari from a fanatical crowd. The UK-based org is coming home, and will likely win the trophy at ESL One Birmingham 2026.

Stick with Esportsbetting.com for coverage throughout ESL One Birmingham, with onsite insight, and keep your eyes peeled for more Dota 2 news, guides, and more.

Featured Image Credit: ESL