Their performance at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup and MinD_ContRoL’s contribution—highlights from the DTVI podcast with dalul
REKONIX support player Abdalla “dalul” In a podcast on the DTVI YouTube channel, Afemi discussed the team’s performance at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup, shared his personal takeaways from the tournament, and reflected on their elimination from the qualifiers for The International 2026. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights in our article.
On REKONIX’s results at the 2026 Esports World Cup and the lessons learned from their performance
Dalul admitted that this was the first time in his career he had competed in a tournament of this caliber and acknowledged that the team’s last-place finish might draw criticism; however, he was still happy for the team and hoped for a more successful performance.
Afemi noted that he needs to be more self-centered in the game and stop helping Fbz get farm too much. Previously, the support had tried to create opportunities for his teammate to get more creeps and gold so he could influence the game, but sometimes this strategy backfired.
On REKONIX’s struggles in matches against Tier 1 teams and MinD_ContRoL’s impact on the team
Abdalla believes that the main difference between REKONIX and Tier 1 teams becomes apparent after the 15-minute mark. According to him, in the first 10 minutes, the team is capable of competing with the strongest opponents on a mechanical level, but then begins to fall behind due to the opponents’ map movements.
Afemi explained that MinD_ContRoL helps REKONIX players better understand the game and teaches them how to position themselves on the lane and make calls. According to the support player, the coach advises them on how and when to use items effectively and communicate with the team.
On REKONIX’s goals for the Esports World Cup 2026 and their feelings after being eliminated from the qualifiers for The International 2026
Dalul admitted that the team’s main goal for the tournament was to win, but he considered finishing in the top 10 and advancing to the playoffs a more realistic outcome. In his opinion, after making it past the survival stage, REKONIX still had a chance to perform well in the playoffs, as on some days the team was capable of defeating its opponents.
Dalul spoke emotionally about being eliminated from the qualifiers for The International 2026. According to him, after losing to OG in the lower bracket, REKONIX faced Grind Back, which, in the player’s view, essentially copied OG’s draft and bans. The support player admitted that he had been trying to qualify for The International for five years and took the elimination particularly hard precisely at the moment when, in his opinion, he had his best chance of making it to the tournament.
Read also:
- dalul on the Dota 2 Esports World Cup 2026: “I was hoping for a better result” (first part of the podcast).
- dalul on MinD_ContRoL: “He explains how to lane and how to make calls” (second part of the podcast).
REKONIX finished in 17th–20th place at the 2026 Dota 2 Esports World Cup. The team failed to advance past the group stage, finishing with a 2–8 map record. The team earned $10,000 in prize money at the tournament.
Photo: REKONIX.
