sayuw on HULIGANI’s last-place finish at The International 2026: “Let’s be honest, this was bound to happen.”
HULIGANI support Oleg “sayuw” In an interview with the YouTube channel ONA V IGRE CYBER, Kalenbet explained why the team finished last at The International 2026, discussed the decline of Dota 2 in China, and assessed the team’s current roster.
On the reason for finishing last at The International 2026
Let’s be honest, this was bound to happen because we didn’t play a single practice game here in Shanghai. We didn’t play because our carry caught a virus during the flight. I flew in first, while the team was flying from Moscow to Beijing. A typhoon hit there, and all flights were canceled.
He caught some kind of virus on the Moscow–Beijing flight. <...> He arrived in Beijing with a fever of 39. Their flights were canceled, so they’re still stuck in a hotel in Beijing. He flew here and didn’t leave his room for five days. He had a really high fever; they tried to bring it down with antibiotics and everything.
By the time of, let’s say, the last game against OG, he was feeling a bit better, more or less. But we didn’t play a single practice match here. The four of us played public matches, while Ilyukha was recovering, trying to get back on his feet to help us at the tournament. So, basically, it’s a predictable result. What else can you expect from a team that didn’t play a single practice match at the tournament? We’re not too upset about it.
On the decline of Chinese Dota 2
Basically, it was expected that no Chinese team would advance. First of all, Chinese Dota 2 is dying. [Why did they go into such a sharp decline in the first place?] I don’t know. It’s just that Chinese Dota 2… Look at the players—they’re all old-timers. Well, not exactly old-timers, but I haven’t seen a single new name all year. Even everyone playing at The International has been playing somewhere for a long time, one way or another.
And the fact that Xtreme Gaming bombed is, in principle, to be expected. We played qualifiers against almost all the Chinese teams: Vici Gaming, Xtreme, and Team Resilience. <...> We played qualifiers against all of them, and they’re all so lackluster. It’s like they’re tired and need a proper break, or they’re just done for.
On what makes an ideal pro player
They just have to be normal. That is, first of all, they have to be confident in themselves and in their team. They shouldn’t be toxic. That’s the most important thing—not being toxic. Nobody likes toxic people on the team; they don’t last long. So, if you’re just a chill guy, fun-loving, able to lighten the mood when needed, don’t stress out, don’t smother anyone, and don’t pick on anyone, then, basically, you’re already a decent teammate compared to everyone else.
On evaluating the team roster
It’s a pretty great roster. A perfectly functional roster, I’d say, because, as has already been noted, we came together in March and, in such a short time, yes, managed to qualify for tournaments. Yes, we didn’t perform well at the tournaments, but we understand that qualifiers and tournaments feature teams of different levels.
Earlier, HULIGANI support Oleg “sayuw” Kalenbet commented on the team’s elimination from the tournament in an interview at The International 2026, analyzed the loss to OG, and shared his thoughts on the rookies’ experience at the championship.
Photo: Valve.
