Saksa Identifies the Main Reason for Team Yandex’s Failure at the Esports World Cup 2026

Martin “Saksa” Sazdov believes that Team Yandex could have performed much better at the 2026 Esports World Cup, but the team faced communication issues.

The player made this statement on YouTube.

“I think we could have performed better. In the series against PARIVISION, we were completely unprepared. Our drafts were a mess; we didn’t know what we were doing. It’s a miracle we won a single map. We didn’t even come close to showing what we’re capable of.

There were communication issues—or even a complete lack of communication. At this tournament, the guys spoke much more in Russian. I wasn’t part of the conversations, especially during the drafts. For example, on the third map against PARIVISION, we went into the draft but had no idea what we were supposed to pick. Afterward, we talked it over and decided that after this tournament, we’d try to be on the same page—I’ll try to be more involved in the draft and help out.”

According to Martin “Saksa” Sazdov, the team showed an extremely poor level of preparation in the elimination match against PARIVISION. The biggest problems, in the player’s opinion, were with the drafts. The esports player is dissatisfied that his teammates communicated extensively in their native language, which prevented Saksa from participating in discussions about the team’s strategies.

As a reminder, Martin “Saksa” Sazdov previously spoke out about the relationships among Team Yandex players.