Dota 2 Is Losing its Biggest Teams – What’s Going On?

Zloster Published November 12, 2026

2026 has been a turbulent year for the Dota 2 pro scene. Despite seeing the biggest player pick-up in years, the competitive landscape has remained challenging for many professional organizations, with several choosing to shut down their Dota 2 divisions.

While each organization had its own reasons for moving away from Dota 2, losing several professional teams in one year is hardly promising for the competitive scene. So, which organizations have called it quits in 2026, what led to their decisions, and should these departures fuel concerns that Dota 2 is slowly losing its status as an esports? Let’s take a closer look at the teams we’ve lost and whether the latest developments cause further speculation that Dota 2 is dying.

HEROIC

The first Dota 2 organization to announce its departure from our favorite game was HEROIC. This news broke in May 2026, and caught many surprise, as the Norwegian organization had a solid South American Dota 2 roster. In fact, it’s safe to say it was among the top squads at the time.

In its statement, HEROIC stated that it did not have the financial resources to maintain a Dota 2 team. The announcement sparked plenty of discussion about the financial realities of competing at the highest level. Several reports and community discussions shed light on just how expensive it can be to run a professional Dota 2 team, with some of the figures leaving us genuinely shocked.

Tundra Esports

Following HEROIC’s exit, Tundra Esports became the second top-tier organization to leave the competitive scene. Despite winning The International and having one of the strongest Dota 2 teams, the European powerhouse announced its exit on June 1st 2026.

Funding cuts were the main reason behind the decision. While operating costs remained unchanged, maintaining a top-tier Dota 2 roster had become increasingly challenging, with player salaries and stricter regulations affecting sponsors contributing to their financial pressure.

Fortunately, the roster was acquired by 1win, a popular esports betting platform. The deal included all five players and coach David “MoonMeander” Tan, allowing the squad to remain intact and continue competing under the 1win banner.

Vici Gaming

Aside from European organizations, one of the most well-known Chinese Dota 2 teams also called it quits immediately after its disappointing results at The International 2026. Vici Gaming announced its roster disbandment just hours after exiting the competition. While the team and its owner announced the breakup after TI2026, future organizational participation in Dota 2 remains uncertain.

Nigma Galaxy

The International 2026 proved to be “fatal” for another top-tier Dota 2 organization – Nigma Galaxy. Although the team achieved solid results and finished among the top six, it wasn’t enough. A major roster shake-up meant that the squad parted ways with several important players, including MinD_ContRoL, Yuma, and Mikey, while SumaiL retired.

Despite rumors of a full exit, the organization remains active at a lower level.

Nigma was founded 7 years ago by Team Liquid’s TI-winning squad, then merged with Galaxy Racer in 2021 to officially become Nigma Galaxy.

Virtus.Pro

Speaking of legendary Dota 2 organizations, the CIS powerhouse Virtus.Pro has also stepped away from the competitive scene. The organization disbanded its full roster in September after failing to achieve the results it had hoped for. This is one of the few cases where the team’s departure was motivated by poor performance rather than financial insecurities.

Once one of the best teams in the world, VP has struggled in recent years to reclaim its Tier 1 status. After missing out on multiple major events, including a third consecutive The International, the organization wiped its lineup clean, leaving its immediate future uncertain.

Team Falcons

September was very turbulent because Team Falcons also announced its departure from Dota 2. This was probably the most shocking exit of the year because people assumed the Saudi Arabian organization never had issues with money. Well, it seems like this was not the case.

Some Dota 2 fans expected the organization to sign a new roster, but it never happened. Instead, the players split into several teams and Falcons is no longer a part of the professional Dota 2 world.

BetBoom Team

And BetBoom is the latest Dota 2 team to withdraw from the competitive scene. The announcement came on November 2nd, the organisation put its Dota 2 division on hiatus and moved the entire roster to inactive. The decision came after disappointing results that fell short of expectations, including early exits like a 9th-12th finish at BLAST SLAM VIII. In their statement, however, the squad said that they will be back, so we expect to see a new roster under their banner in 2027.

So, is Dota 2 Dying?

Although several popular organizations have left the competitive Dota 2 scene, that doesn’t mean that the game itself is dying. On the contrary, there are three major tournaments still left before the end of the year, including the 1win Essence III, BLAST Slam IX, and DreamLeague Season 30. However, the recent departures raise an important question about the financial sustainability of professional Dota 2. We hope Valve will take steps to support the competitive ecosystem and help organizations maintain their teams. After all, a thriving professional scene is essential to keeping Dota 2 exciting for players and fans alike.