“Our song has ended, but it’s not over yet”: BetBoom Team players on their elimination from the IEM Cologne Major 2026
BetBoom Team players reacted to their loss to Aurora Gaming in the quarterfinals of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 and the end of their run in the tournament. The posts were published on the team members’ personal social media accounts.
Rifler Timur “FL4MUS” Mariev thanked the fans for their support and noted that the result could be considered respectable given the circumstances:
Well, *** [damn], what can I say, guys, our run is over. The vibe was incredible. To play in an arena like this, with fans like these. Anyway, it’s a real shame that *** [we lost]. It’s a real shame that *** [we lost], but for a mixed team, with so few days of practice, limited material, and so on, the run was actually pretty good—the result is satisfactory. Thanks so much to everyone for your support. We played *** [poorly] on Nuke. On Anubis in the ST, we did a little better, but a loss is a loss. Thanks so much to everyone for your support. Alright, guys, have a great day, everyone.
Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov also shared his thoughts:
Hey, everyone. Unfortunately, we lost our playoff match. The emotions are overwhelming. Now I want to strive to compete frequently and consistently on the arena stage and in Tier 1 tournaments. To sum it up briefly, it was actually a good tournament. We faced so many different problems, and even with those challenges, we managed to make it from the first stage all the way to the playoffs. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to stay in the playoffs any longer. But it is what it is. Thanks to everyone for the support. It’s nice to see your words of encouragement. So many of you are reaching out. I try to reply to everyone. So, shall we move on? This has been Danil d1Ledez. Hugs and high fives to everyone. Stay in touch.
Quotes are reproduced with the original spelling and punctuation from the sources
Sniper Alexander “zorte” Zagodyrenko called the team’s performance “not bad”:
Well…
Not a bad run anyway, but there were too many gaps in the maps
Thanks for cheering us on—we were on fire today
Our song has ended, but it hasn’t been sung yet…
Analyst Damir “dmrr” Abulkassimov also gave the team’s result a positive assessment:
We lost to the Turks. Experience. Still, it was a good run
. I’ll post a summary later
Rifler Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov reminded everyone that the team was playing with a temporary roster:
The journey is over—Top 8 in the Major. Overall, an excellent result, considering we came as a mixed team without preparation and with very few practice matches.
We made it from the first stage to the arena—it
was unforgettable. thanks to everyone who cheers us on, supports us, writes to us, and pays attention—it’s very much appreciated. In a week and a half, there’s a championship in China; we’ll try to put up good results with our main roster (hopefully nothing supernatural happens -_-)
Let’s cheer for Spirit 73
Team captain Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov also shared a few brief thoughts:
Don’t be sad that it’s over. Be glad that it happened
Earlier, BetBoom Team wrapped up their run at the IEM Cologne Major 2026. In the tournament’s quarterfinals, Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov’s team lost to Aurora Gaming 0–2 and finished in 5th–8th place, earning $45,000 in prize money.
