Team Falcons Leaves Competitive Dota 2

Published September 8, 2026

Team Falcons has confirmed its departure from competitive Dota 2, closing an almost three-year spell in the scene. The Saudi Arabia-based organisation leaves behind nine Tier 1 tournament victories, highlighted by its The International 2025 championship and the only Aegis of Champions in Falcons history. The announcement arrived after TI 2026, which had already been identified as the final tournament for the team’s long-standing five-player lineup. Falcons were still the defending world champions at that event, but their exit is tied to the organisation’s wider esports planning rather than to a single result.

In its statement, Falcons presented the decision as a change in organisational priorities. “At Team Falcons, our goal is to build long-term, high-impact programs across global esports. Following a strategic review of our multi-title roadmap for 2026 and beyond, we have made the decision to step back from Dota 2. While Dota 2 holds a legendary place in competitive gaming, our global focus is shifting towards expanding ecosystems that offer greater strategic alignment and long-term operational stability for our organisation,” Falcons said. The wording makes clear that the team is redirecting its attention to other esports titles. For Dota 2, the move also removes a reigning TI-winning organisation whose core had become historically notable for its longevity and results.

Falcons leave behind a historic core

The Falcons project began in November 2023 with Oliver “Skiter” Lepko, Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, Ammar “ATF” Assaf, Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen and Jing “Sneyking” Wu. Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling joined as coach in January 2024, completing the group that would define the organisation’s Dota 2 era. Their continuity was exceptional in a scene where lineups often change quickly. The five players appeared together in 799 games, the reported record for a single five-man squad in Dota 2 history. They won 523 of them, producing a 65.46% win rate and making the unit the game’s most successful five-man roster by that measure. Those numbers put Falcons’ departure in perspective: this was not a brief championship roster, but a team that stayed together long enough to establish a record while consistently winning at the highest level.

The competitive story began to accelerate in February 2024, when Falcons claimed BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024, their first Tier 1 title. Through August, they entered seven more events, won four, and reached the Top 3 at another three. That 2024 campaign secured a direct invitation to TI 2024, where Falcons finished fourth. Their next season was less dominant in overall event wins, with three victories from 13 Tier 1 tournaments in 2024-2025, yet it produced the organisation’s defining achievement. After a slow TI 2025 Group Stage, Falcons won four consecutive Playoffs matches. The run ended with a five-game victory over China’s Xtreme Gaming, earning Falcons its first and only Aegis. The 2025-2026 season was tougher again: the team won one Tier 1 event across 13 appearances, although its status as defending champion still brought a direct TI 2026 invite.

TI 2026 was the roster’s last dance

Cr1t said in an interview at the beginning of TI 2026 that the tournament would be the final event for the five players together. Falcons opened the event with a 3-2 Group Stage record, leaving them one elimination match away from the Playoffs rather than advancing directly. Their route through the tournament unfolded as follows:

• Group Stage and Elimination Round: Falcons finished TI 2026 with a 3-2 Group Stage record, then swept China’s Vici Gaming in the do-or-die Elimination Round to reach the Playoffs.
• Playoffs exit: Nigma Galaxy beat Falcons in the opening Playoffs round and sent them to the lower bracket. Team Liquid then defeated Falcons in three games in the first lower-bracket round, eliminating them in 7th-8th place.

Season or milestone	Verified Falcons result
2024 competitive campaign	Won BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 in February; across seven further events through August, won four and finished Top 3 in three. Falcons later placed fourth at TI 2024.
2024-2025 season and TI 2025	Won three of 13 Tier 1 tournaments, then recovered from a slow TI 2025 Group Stage with four straight Playoffs wins and beat Xtreme Gaming in five games for the Aegis.
Five-player roster record	Played 799 games together and won 523, a 65.46% win rate reported as the highest for a five-man Dota 2 squad.

The organisation’s departure leaves the players at different points in their careers. Cr1t hinted that TI 2026 was likely his final appearance at Dota 2’s annual world championship and suggested retirement from professional play. Aui_2000 also revealed his retirement in an interview, ending a career that included three Aegis wins: one as an Evil Geniuses player at TI 2015 and two as a coach, with Tundra Esports at TI 2022 and Falcons at TI 2025. Skiter, Malr1ne, ATF and Sneyking had not formally announced their next steps when Falcons exited. ATF thanked the organisation, staff, fans and teammates, while Skiter described the Falcons journey as unforgettable and said everyone involved would retain a special place in his heart.