Team Yandex signs TI champion ATF for 2026-2027 Dota 2 season

Team Yandex confirmed on 17 September that Ammar "ATF" Assaf is joining the squad as its new offlaner. Dmitry "DM" Dorokhin, the player he replaces, has been shifted to the inactive roster. The move lands just two days before Yandex's next Tier 1 event, making it one of the final big roster shake-ups ahead of the new season.

A Free Agent After Team Falcons Exit

ATF arrives without a buyout after Team Falcons pulled out of competitive Dota 2 earlier this month. His spell with Falcons was historically strong: that five-man lineup shared the stage for 799 games — more than any other roster in the game's history — and won 523 of them, a 65.46% win rate.

He is the second Falcons player to find a new home since the organisation stepped away, following Oliver "Skiter" Lepko's transfer to Aurora Gaming.

Two International Winners in One Team

With ATF on board, Yandex now fields two The International champions: the TI 2025 winner joins TI 2022 champion Martin "Saksa" Sazdov. The confirmed 2026-2027 lineup is:

• Alimzhan "Watson" Islambekov
• Ilya "CHIRA_JUNIOR" Chirtsov
• Ammar "ATF" Assaf
• Martin "Saksa" Sazdov
• Arman "Malady" Orazbayev

High Standards to Meet

Yandex only entered Dota 2 in June 2025 but quickly established itself among the scene's elite, winning three Tier 1 events and placing top three at six more across the 2025-2026 season, per GosuGamers. At TI 2026, the team bounced back from a sluggish group stage to reach the final three, bowing out to eventual champions Team Spirit in the lower-bracket final.

What Happens Next

The revamped roster debuts at PGL Wallachia Season 9, the opening Tier 1 tournament of the 2026-2027 season, starting 19 September. ATF has confirmed the switch himself in comments reported by cyber.sports.ru, saying he will compete under the Yandex banner at the event.

Source: Esports Insider