Yakult on his role as coach for Yakult Brothers: “I prepare statistics before every tournament.”
Yakult Brothers coach Wang “Yakult” Hao spoke in an interview at Games of the Future 2026 about Dota 2, discussing how he helps players between maps, his work with the roster, and sharing details about Zhou “Emo”’s and to the Chinese scene.
On helping players between maps
I just encourage them. I tell them that the draft is the first step in every game, but the second—and most important—step is what you do afterward. Mistakes happen; we can’t change that, but we have to analyze them and correct them on the next map.
On working with the roster
Before every tournament, I prepare statistics with my friends. During the draft, the players make the final decision, but sometimes they ask me about their chances of success.
About Emo
I’ve been working with him since 2019 at Invictus Gaming, where I was a manager. Some time after The International 2019, we co-founded Yakult Brothers, so he’s also one of its founders. Earlier this year, he wanted a change—he completely switched things up and left to play in Southeast Asia. But after the 2026 Esports World Cup and the TI qualifiers, I invited him back, and he himself wanted to return to China.
At the time of this publication, Yakult Brothers is facing off against Vici Gaming in a single-elimination match as part of the 2026 Games of the Future—the series is tied at 0–0. The tournament is taking place from July 30 to August 5 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
Photo: PGL.
