kaffs on LGD Gaming’s preparations for The International 2026: “We’ll be training in China.”

LGD Gaming coaches Gustavo “fcr” Batista Teixeira Ribeiro and Igor “kaffs” Furtado, gave an interview to the GodGenesis E-sports YouTube channel at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup, in which they discussed the team’s performance at the tournament and their training regimen.
On their performance at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup and preparations for the remaining tournaments at the end of the season
kaffs: Our preparation for this tournament didn’t quite go according to plan. Circumstances beyond our control arose, and we arrived in Paris not in our best shape. Nevertheless, we lost to BetBoom Team, and they made it to the finals—the format is really tough. Now our main goal is to approach the next competitions better prepared, focus on high-quality training, and correct the mistakes we made at this stage.
Up next is a tournament that will serve as a sort of preparation for The International 2026. We’ll be heading to Kazakhstan for the Games of the Future 2026, and we may also compete in one or even two other tournaments at the same time. The idea is to play as many official matches as possible and approach TI in top form.
We’re already playing very well right now. I think it was evident throughout this tournament that BB Team gave us a much tougher time than they did many of the other teams they faced. Yes, we probably didn’t deserve a spot in the top 4, but we were very close. All that’s left is to fine-tune a few details, and we’ll head into the season’s decisive matches in excellent shape. We’ll be training in China.
On practicing Lone Druid
fcr: When Yuma started playing this hero, he didn’t know what to do. So I took him under my wing; we watched the replay together, I showed him my Lone Druid demo, then we watched it again and broke down his gameplay, and he played for the first time at BLAST Slam VIII against Team Yandex—it was a tough match, but we ended up winning, so I hope we can practice this hero even more so that he gets banned out of respect and fear.
On The International 2026
fcr: Yeah, I think this TI is going to be really awesome. We’re a South American team representing a Chinese organization, so we’ll be playing almost like we’re at home.
kaffs: I’m sure everyone on the team will give it their all, and we simply can’t help but see LGD among the contenders for the top spots
LGD Gaming lost to BetBoom Team 0–2 in the second round of the survival stage of the 2026 Esports World Cup in Dota 2 and exited the tournament, finishing in 9th–12th place. The team earned $40,000. The tournament took place from July 7 to 19 in Paris, France.


