The once-mighty Team Secret will take a break from joining Dota 2 tournaments for a while.
European esports organization Team Secret announced on Saturday that it is taking a step back from sending a roster for the upcoming Dota 2 tournaments this year, putting its team on a hiatus from the pro scene.
In a short but straightforward post on X, Team Secret confirmed that while they remain open to future Dota 2 opportunities, their current active division will remain inactive for the time being. Team Secret’s announcement drew a range of reactions online, with other Dota 2 organizations such as Aurora Gaming and OG expressing their disappointment over the team’s temporary departure.
BOOM Esports, another organization that previously stepped away from Dota 2, also shared their support and sympathy for Team Secret.
From glory to hiatus: The story of Team Secret
Team Secret started out as an idea in 2014 by some of the greatest names in Dota 2 history today, such as Kuro "KuroKy" Salehi Takhasomi and Johan "N0tail" Sundstein.
The two originally thought of a team organized and led by fellow players, but this vision was eventually made possible by a man who eventually became the face of the team: Clement "Puppey" Ivanov.
Under Puppey’s leadership, Team Secret produced several players who became widely renowned for their mechanical skills, such as the leftie midlaner Michał "Nisha" Jankowski, standout offlaner Ludwig "zai" Wåhlberg, and reliable support Yazied "YapzOr" Jaradat.
Despite frequent roster changes, Team Secret remained a dominant force in the Dota 2 scene, consistently winning tier 1 and tier 2 tournaments throughout its run. The team saw its golden years during 2019-2020, when it collected multiple trophies from tournaments like the Chongqing Major, MDL Disneyland® Paris Major, and DreamLeague Season 13.
The Aegis, however, continued to elude Team Secret as they fell short in The International tournaments, with their closest run coming at The International 2022, where Tundra Esports defeated them in the grand finals.
Where is Puppey now?
Team Secret continued competing in various tournaments throughout 2025, though they struggled to secure wins in Western Europe’s closed qualifiers for The International 2025.
The team’s captain, Puppey, began exploring other opportunities and, as of February 2026, has taken on a coaching role with PARIVISION while also serving as Team Secret’s talent director. It is worth noting that Team Secret is still active in other esports games, such as VALORANT, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege.
