Team Falcons have left competitive Dota 2. The Saudi Arabian organisation confirmed the exit on 6 September 2026 and released the five players who won The International 2025 together. The confirmation came in two bilingual posts on its X account: a short "Farewell, Dota 2" message and a formal statement posted as English and Arabic image cards.
Oliver "skiter" Lepko, Stanislav "Malr1ne" Potorak, Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf and Jingjun "Sneyking" Wu are on the market as free agents. The fifth, Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen, has signalled he is likely finished with competitive play, though he has not posted a formal retirement.
The announcement ends a run that began on 11 November 2023 and settles weeks of contradictory reporting. Until 6 September nothing about a disband had been confirmed by the organisation, and all five players were still listed as active despite insider posts claiming otherwise. The exit covers Dota 2 specifically, not esports as a whole — the org, founded in 2017, continues to field teams in its other titles.
What Falcons actually said
The organisation framed the decision as a portfolio call rather than a reaction to one bad tournament. "While Dota 2 holds a legendary place in competitive gaming, our global focus is shifting toward expanding ecosystems that offer greater strategic alignment and long-term operational sustainability for our organisation," the statement read, as quoted by Dot Esports and Hotspawn.
The accompanying farewell post thanked "the players, staff, and the community for the unforgettable memories." Neither post named a replacement roster, and the org has not said it intends to return.
The roster that just hit the market
The five who have been released are among the most decorated players in this shuffle, and, unusually, they are on the market together. All five joined on the same day in November 2023 and the signed lineup never changed, stand-ins aside — close to three years without a roster move, rare in modern Dota.
- skiter (Oliver Lepko, Slovakia) — position 1
- Malr1ne (Stanislav Potorak, Russia) — position 2
- ATF (Ammar Al-Assaf, Jordan) — position 3 and captain since July 2025
- Cr1t- (Andreas Nielsen, Denmark) — position 4
- Sneyking (Jingjun Wu, United States) — position 5
Their record under the Falcons banner includes the Aegis of Champions at The International 2025, a 3-0 grand final win over Gaimin Gladiators at DreamLeague Season 23, titles at ESL One Birmingham 2024 and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024, and the top spot on the ESL Pro Tour Season 2 leaderboard, earning direct invitations to Riyadh Masters 2024 and The International 2024.
One caveat on availability: Cr1t- described TI 2026 during the event as probably the last this lineup would play together, and after the elimination said it was likely his own final International. Coverage is split — some outlets wrote those comments up as a retirement announcement, while his Liquipedia profile still lists him as active.
Why it happened now
The 2026 season went nothing like 2025. Falcons arrived at The International 2026 as defending champions and went out in the first round of the lower bracket to Team Liquid on 21 August, finishing 7th-8th. Team Spirit went on to win the event.
The support structure came apart first. Coach Kurtis "Aui_2000" Ling told Russian outlet esports.ru on 23 August that he did not plan to continue his Dota 2 career. Manager Mohammad Khalil "AfrOmoush" Abu Al Eis, who had been with the roster since it was assembled, announced on 4 September that he was looking for new opportunities. The playing roster followed two days later.
What it means for the shuffle
Four elite free agents entering the market at once changes the shape of an already slow off-season. Organisations that were waiting on a Falcons decision now have their answer.
The timing matters because the post-TI shuffle has been unusually sluggish. Events have struggled to assemble fields while rosters stayed unresolved: 1win Essence III was postponed and PGL Wallachia Season 9 was reported short of teams. Other teams had already moved: Xtreme Gaming released NothingToSay, fy, xNova and Xxs on 4 September, keeping only Ame, and Xipto Esports entered Dota 2 on 31 August with a Southeast Asian roster built around 23savage.
Plenty of destinations have been floated for the Falcons players in insider reporting, including moves for ATF and Malr1ne. No destination has been confirmed by an organisation, and this shuffle has already produced confidently reported rosters that never materialised. Treat any lineup circulating before a team posts it as a rumour.
FAQ
Have Team Falcons disbanded their Dota 2 roster? Yes. On 6 September 2026 the organisation announced it was leaving competitive Dota 2 and released all five players. This was confirmed by Falcons itself, after weeks in which a disband was only reported by insiders.
Who were the five players released? skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, Cr1t- and Sneyking. All five joined on 11 November 2023 and all five left on 6 September 2026. Four are free agents; Cr1t- has indicated he is likely done with competitive play.
Why did Team Falcons leave Dota 2? The organisation cited strategy rather than results, saying its global focus was shifting toward ecosystems offering greater strategic alignment and long-term operational sustainability.
Has Team Falcons left esports entirely? No. The exit applies to its Dota 2 division. Falcons is a multi-title organisation founded in 2017 and remains active elsewhere.
Where did Team Falcons finish at The International 2026? 7th-8th. They were eliminated by Team Liquid in the first round of the lower bracket on 21 August 2026, having entered as the defending champions from TI 2025.
Is Cr1t- retiring? He has strongly hinted at it, calling TI 2026 likely his last International, but he has not made a formal retirement announcement. Some outlets have reported those comments as a retirement; his Liquipedia profile still lists him as active.
Sources: Liquipedia Dota 2 (Team Falcons), Team Falcons on X, Dot Esports, Hotspawn, esports.ru. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
