Focus commented on the Greek national team’s victory in the Eastern Europe qualifiers for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup

That was probably the most intense best-of-three series I’ve ever played in my life. It was incredible. At first, our communication was good—everything was going great. But then—some random things happened on the map, and we just died, fed, and weren’t ready. Honestly, it was such an intense match… We were a little nervous, of course. Especially after we seemed to lose the fight for the second Roshan. I don’t know exactly what happened there. We lost our momentum a bit.

Honestly, representing your country is the best feeling in the world. We played with this same lineup 4–5 years ago—exactly the same team: Brame. And now… I don’t know, just playing for your country is like coming back home. Some of the guys hardly play Dota anymore; others have their own lives and jobs. I myself haven’t competed on the pro scene in a long time. Only dEsire has remained at the professional level for the last 2–3 years. Playing with the Greeks—it’s so emotional, you know? We just fight and give it our all for the win, no matter what. It’s an amazing feeling. Playing for Greece is amazing.

We thought we were supposed to get an invite because we won the 2024 IESF World Esports Championship. That’s exactly what we were told: “You’ll get invited, don’t worry about it”—everyone was completely calm. And then, suddenly, two or three weeks before the qualifiers, we found out we wouldn’t be getting an invite.

On top of that, the IESF itself ended up not happening, so it seems like one problem never comes alone. But to be honest, looking at the field of competitors, we’re confident that when we play at our best, we can beat even Tier 1 teams. But if we stop listening to each other, if everyone thinks differently, if we get too nervous—we’re capable of losing even to a 10th-tier team. And all of us, just like the Czech team probably did, knew we’d make it through.