Syed “SumaiL” Hassan has hinted that The International 2026 could be the final event of his professional Dota 2 career after Nigma Galaxy finished in the top six.
Nigma Galaxy’s impressive run at the TI 2026 came to an end on Saturday, Aug. 22 after the team suffered a 1-2 loss to BoomBoys in the lower bracket quarterfinals. In the post-match interview, SumaiL reflected on the team’s performance before suggesting that his competitive career could be coming to an end.
“I know we tried our best. It looked pretty good. We were one game away from top three last night. And then today it was a good series. I don’t know, something went wrong,” an emotional SumaiL said.
“As far as for the team, I’m not sure. This is probably my last event.”
— Nigma Galaxy (@NigmaGalaxy) August 22, 2026
While SumaiL did not explicitly confirm his retirement, his exit interview suggests that the 27-year-old could be stepping away from professional Dota 2 following TI 2026.
SumaiL’s legendary Dota 2 career
SumaiL has been one of the most recognizable players of Valve’s MOBA title since breaking into the pro scene with Evil Geniuses in 2015. He made history at the Dota 2 Asia Championships 2015, becoming the youngest player to win an official Valve event at just 15 years and 361 days old.
Later that year, SumaiL helped Evil Geniuses win The International 2015. At 16 years and 176 days old, he became the youngest pro to lift the Aegis of Champions, a record that still stands to this day.
His career also includes one of the most memorable individual performances in TI history. SumaiL holds the record for the most kills in a single game at TI with 31, which he achieved on Tiny against OG during Game 3 of their upper bracket series at TI 2018.
SumaiL spent much of his career as a mid laner before eventually transitioning to the carry position. After his four-year stint with EG, he played for Quincy Crew, OG, Team Liquid (as stand-in), Team Secret, and Nigma Galaxy. He left Nigma last March before returning to the organization in June ahead of the Esports World Cup and TI 2026 qualifiers.
After his return, SumaiL shifted to position 1, with Artem “Lorenof” Melnik taking over the mid lane. The change helped Nigma put together an unexpected run from the European qualifiers and at the TI 2026 in Shanghai.
Nigma finished the Swiss group stage with a 4-1 record, sweeping Team Spirit 2-0 to barge into the Main Event. They pulled off a 2-1 upset over defending champions Team Falcons that sent the team into the upper bracket semifinals. However, NGX eventually fell 1-2 to Team Yandex in the upper bracket before getting eliminated by BoomBoys.
Cr1t- also hints at retirement
SumaiL is not the only veteran to suggest that TI 2026 could be his final, as his former Evil Geniuses teammate and Team Falcons soft support Andreas “Cr1t-” Nielsen made similar comments after Falcons were eliminated by Team Liquid with a 1-2 decision in the lower bracket first round a day earlier.
“For me, this is probably the last TI. I’m happy to do it here,” Cr1t- said. “It’s always amazing to be in China but fans all around the world are always cheering.”
“It’s a special thing to be at TI. And I’m going to miss it.”
Cr1t- won TI 2025 with Team Falcons, claiming the Aegis in his ninth TI appearance. His career also includes two Major championships with OG before he moved to EG, whose roster was later acquired by Shopify Rebellion. In November 2023, he joined Falcons with Skiter, Sneyking, ATF, and Malr1ne, eventually becoming the longest-standing five-man roster in competitive Dota 2.
TI 2026 was Cr1t-’s 10th appearance at the tournament. Only Clement “Puppey” Ivanov and Tal “Fly” Aizik have made more TI appearances, with 11 each.
