Win are the first GOTF 2025 champions!

A week ago, they were barely known even among hardcore Dota 2 fans, but Win have been crowned phygital champions at the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 powered by ADNOC.

The CIS-based team won the trophy after six days of competition in which they blew away their rivals, never losing a single game in the entire tournament.

To earn the trophy – the first to be awarded at this year’s GOTF – the team beat Dota 2 legends Vikings in the Grand Final. As with their previous matches, they overwhelmed their opponents with the same clinical efficiency they’ve demonstrated all week.
Although the first game was initially evenly matched, Win took control in the 30th minute and finished it out in 35 mins. They dominated the second and which was just 20 seconds shorter.

The Grand Final lasted 1 hr 10 mins in total and, like the rest of Win’s matches, ended in a 2:0 scoreline.

Speaking after their victory Ivan “OneJey” Zhyvitski said: “It felt easy for us, and we were in control throughout the tournament. No team really pushed us out of our comfort zone, and even the in-game chat and tipping were just part of the fun for us – nothing that affected our focus. We stayed calm, enjoyed the games, and played our style. Looking ahead, we’re excited about what’s next and hope to compete at the Games of the Future 2026. Most importantly, thanks to everyone who supported us and cheered us on throughout the tournament.”

Although understandably disappointed by the result, Vikings’ Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg had nothing but praise for the conquerors.

“We threw everything at them, but they were just too good.” he said. ‘You can’t really defeat these guys – their safe play is impossible to beat. In this tournament they’ve really emerged as the team to watch. I’m not sure yet if they can beat the real tier one teams, but they’re certainly not far off it They’re really good.”

The nature of the Win’s victory at such a prestigious tournament and against such starry rivals means that the team could quickly become future legends if they continue to play together.

And that seems likely. Only yesterday "OneJey" told us: “It’s rare to find a team where you can stay relaxed, enjoy the game, and still perform at a high level. For me, this is the first team where I feel that balance so strongly.”

Earlier in the day, Vikings and Nigma Galaxy met to compete in the 3rd place play-off. It was a spirited battle which Vikings won 2:0, although it could easily have gone to a third. Nigma had Vikings on the ropes in the second game, but their rivals managed to wriggle free and turn the tables. The two games lasted 42 and 45 mins.

The match-up was a rerun of their epic semi-finals meeting two days ago which resulted in a bit of tension between Ivan "MinD_ContRoL" Ivanov and his longtime hero Vikings’ Offlaner Henrik “AdmiralBulldog” Ahnberg. The so-called row was the talk of the competition although both players have since said it was just a “bit of banter”.

Reflecting on their exit from the games, “Mind_ControL” said it had been an overwhelmingly positive experience.

“We could have won – I really believed that until the end of this game. In the end we didn’t have enough, but I think this was a great tournament. I really enjoyed everything: the competition, the friends, the teammates – even the enemies! We’ll certainly be back again for the next GOTF.”

So that’s it for MOBA PC.Dota 2. You can catch up on all the matches from this year’s tournament – as well as live footage from all GOTF 2025 disciplines – at tv.gofuture.games, the new streaming hub and digital home for live broadcasts, replays, highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content spanning all disciplines at GOTF 2025.