Cr1t on The International 2026 in Dota 2: “This is probably the last tournament for our roster.”
Team Falcons support player Andreas “Cr1t-” Frank Nielsen spoke in an interview at The International 2026 about the team’s form and discussed what they’ve been working on recently.
On the team’s form
We won a tournament right after The International 2025, but that was a couple of weeks later, and I think we were still riding the wave of that victory. Then we ran into some problems when we lost to 1win Team in Singapore. We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but I think things are getting better. I feel like we’re getting into the kind of form where we can win tournaments.
On whether the team’s status as favorites and last year’s champions is a hindrance
I think it’s always a factor for teams that have had long streaks of frequent wins. People pay more attention to you and expect you to win, because at some point everyone realizes they’ll have to beat Team Falcons to win the tournament. Because there are a lot of good teams that can go far and win, so it depends on whether you can play against counterpicks.
On what the team has been working on lately
I think it’s mostly individual aspects. We also know that this is probably the last tournament for our roster. [Why?] We’ve been playing together for so long that we realize it’s time to make some changes. That’s just how things are. We’ve been playing together for three years and competed in three The Internationals, so part of it has to do with the pressure.
On possible future roster changes
Every team talks about this after The International, and we’re no exception. When you make changes, it’s because you want to get better, to strengthen a certain role. It’s hard for us to say, after our success, “Oh, if we replace this guy, we’ll be better.” But I think the people on the roster need this anyway, so it’s natural.
On competing at The International
The International is always fun. For me personally, it’s harder to play throughout the year with all the other tournaments, but that’s why the tournament is so important—because you have to earn your spot in it. I’m always happy just to participate, and I think you have to respect the competition to have a chance at first place.
Earlier, the organizers of The International 2026 announced that championship rings would be awarded to the members of Team Falcons, the winners of The International 2025, ahead of their title defense at this year’s tournament.
