Team Falcons' five-man roster throughout its almost three years in the scene notably played and won the most games in Dota 2 history.
Saudi Arabia-based esports organisation 
Team Falcons announced its exit from the competitive Dota 2 scene on Monday (7 September). In the almost three years that the team competed in Dota 2, Falcons won nine Tier 1 tournaments, including The International (TI) 2025.
In a statement accompanying the announcement of their departure from Dota 2, Falcons said the organisation is shifting its focus towards other esports titles that offer “greater strategic alignment and long-term operational stability.”
“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,” said Falcons.
Team Falcons' storied history in Dota 2
Falcons entered the Dota 2 competitive scene in November 2023 with a star-studded roster featuring 
Oliver “Skiter” Lepko, 
Stanislav “Malr1ne” Potorak, 
Ammar “ATF” Assaf, 
Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen, and 
Jing “Sneyking” Wu. 
Kurtis “Aui_2000” Ling also joined the team in January 2024 as their coach.
Falcons' roster went on to record the most games played together for a single five-man squad in the history of Dota 2 at a whopping 799 games. They won 523 of their games together, which also makes them the game's most successful five-man squad ever with a whopping 65.46% win rate.
Falcons' first full year in competition in 2024 began with their first Tier 1 tournament title at BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 in February. They would go on to play in seven other events until August, winning four and placing in the Top 3 in three others. Falcons' dominance in 2024 earned them a direct invite to TI 2024, where they finished in fourth place.
Falcons were unable to replicate their dominance in the 2024-2025 season, winning just three of the 13 Tier 1 tournaments they competed in. However, they managed to peak just in time for TI 2025, where they overcame a slow start in the Group Stage and won four straight matches in the Playoffs. That run culminated in an epic five-game thriller against China's 
Xtreme Gaming, with Falcons emerging victorious to claim the organisation's first and only Aegis of Champions.
Despite being the reigning world champions, the 2025-2026 season proved to be even more challenging for Falcons as they won just one Tier 1 tournament in the 13 events they played in. With that said, they still earned a direct invite to TI 2026 as the defending champions.
TI 2026 would end up being the last dance for Falcons' decorated five-man roster, with Cr1t revealing in an interview at the start of the tournament that TI 2026 was going to be their last event together.
Falcons once again had a slow start to the Group Stage in TI 2026 and only managed a 3-2 record, which meant they first had to win a do-or-die match in the Elimination Round to advance to the Playoffs. Falcons swept China's 
Vici Gaming to secure their spot in the main stage.
In the opening round of the Playoffs, Falcons were upset by 
Nigma Galaxy and knocked down to the lower bracket. Falcons then faced TI 2024 champions 
Team Liquid in the first round of the lower bracket, with Falcons falling to Liquid in three games to get knocked out of TI 2026 in 7th-8th place.
Shortly after their elimination, Cr1t hinted at his retirement from pro Dota 2 and said TI 2026 was his lukely his last appearance in Dota 2's annual world championship tournament. Aui_2000 also quietly revealed his retirement in an interview with Russian publication esports.ru, ending a storied career that saw him win the Aegis three times, once as a player for 
Evil Geniuses in TI 2015 and twice as a coach for 
Tundra Esports in TI 2022 and for Falcons in TI 2025.
Skiter, Malr1ne, ATF, and Sneyking have yet to make formal announcements on what would be the next steps for their respective careers now that Falcons has departed the Dota 2 competitive scene. Should those four players still decide to continue their careers, they will be among the most sought-after free agents for the upcoming season.
"Very grateful to have played in this organisation. Many memorable moments and legendary wins shared thanks to this wonderful opportunity together alongside the whole roster that we have, [stuck] together till the end and made history. Thanks to everyone who supported us through this journey, [the] whole Falcons Esports staff, organisation, and our fans and I [especially] thank all my [teammates]. Forever our names [are] written together, I wish you all the best," ATF said in a post on his personal X account.
“Journey together with Falcons was unforgettable. We created so many memories together and everyone involved will hold special place in my heart,” Skiter added in a post on his personal X account.
Falcons' departure from the scene is the latest major roster change in the ongoing post-TI 2026 roster shuffle. Check out GosuGamers' post-TI 2026 roster shuffle tracker to keep track of how the competitive Dota 2 landscape will look like for the 2026-2027 season.
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