Kiritych on playing on stage at The International 2026: “I’m just overwhelmed with emotion—I’m just so, so happy.”
BetBoom Team (BoomBoys) carry Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov shared his impressions of the match and spoke about the team’s confidence in an interview following their victory over Nigma Galaxy in the lower bracket quarterfinals of The International 2026.
On how it feels to have secured a top-4 finish at the tournament
Yeah, I’m super happy, to be honest. There are a lot of emotions, actually. I still get stage fright during games—I’m used to it by now. Yeah, damn, it’s awesome—it’s really awesome to win on the big stage. The last time I played on a huge stage was three years ago in Seattle, and when I lost to BetBoom Team back then, I promised myself that I’d return to this big stage and become much stronger so I could win matches and experience those incredible emotions. And now, just three years later, I’m at my second The International, I’ve already won a few matches on stage, my emotions are just overwhelming—I’m just so, so happy.
On the team’s confidence
I think we can play very consistently and well. I think it has more to do with the stage—the fact that we’re playing decisive matches. Some things work out, some don’t. Sometimes our lanes don’t hold up well. Honestly, this is just a game of Dota 2. Of course, we want to strive for more consistent play—to play more consistently so that nobody makes mistakes—but, man, this is Dota 2; it’s all about the emotions on stage—no matter how you look at it, you can really feel it. We’re confident in ourselves, we believe in ourselves, we believe we can lift the trophy above our heads—we’re just going to keep working.
On the upcoming match against Team Spirit
I’m really looking forward to playing against Team Spirit on stage—it’ll be fun.
On his message to the fans
Screw that.
Earlier, BetBoom Team support player Vitaly “Save-” Melnik, in an interview at The International 2026, spoke about the team’s readiness for the next match, expressed a desire to get revenge on PARIVISION and Team Spirit, and noted the good synergy with Danil “gpk” Skutin.
Photo — Valve.
