After a long summer of roster changes, NAVI are slowly finding their rhythm again. The team rebuilt its lineup, adding Drin "makazze" Shaqiri, a young player with almost no tier-one or LAN experience.

Their first tournament together was IEM Cologne 2025, and it started strong – NAVI reached the semifinals and even took a map off Spirit. That performance gave fans a lot of hope, but it was also a bit misleading. The roster was too new, and everyone knew they needed time to build chemistry and structure.

Rough Results and Early Struggles

The next few events showed how tough this rebuild would be. At BLAST Bounty Fall, NAVI barely beat TNL and then lost to Astralis. At the Esports World Cup, they finished last after losing to 3DMAX. Then came BLAST Open Fall 2025, where NAVI defeated fnatic, but lost to FaZe Clan and M80 – teams they were expected to beat. That’s when fans started to worry. 

Coach Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi then spoke honestly about the team’s struggles. He said that expectations needed to drop and the focus should shift to rebuilding step by step – playing smaller tournaments, improving teamwork, and giving players time to adapt.

Confidence Restored at StarSeries

That plan worked. At StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025, NAVI were the only top-20 team at the event and dominated everyone. They lost just one map on their way to the title, beating NIP twice 2-0. This victory gave them $200,000 and, more importantly, confidence. Players said afterward that this win helped them believe in their system again.

Progress at ESL Pro League

At ESL Pro League Season 22, NAVI kept improving. They beat Aurora, then lost to Falcons and 3DMAX, which put them in a bad 1-2 position. But they didn’t give up. NAVI defeated HOTU and The MongolZ to reach the playoffs. There, they lost 2-1 to MOUZ, taking the map Ancient and putting up a real fight.

This tournament showed real progress. Mihai "iM" Ivan and Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi played great, and makazze looked more confident each series. Even B1ad3 said that just making playoffs was beyond expectations, given how strong the event was.

NAVI Player Stats at ESL Pro League Season 22

Trust the Process

Right now, NAVI don’t have the same star power as before. b1t is the only true Tier-1 player, and even he doesn’t play carry roles. The rest of the roster is still learning. Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen leads through structure and strategy, not flashy plays.

That’s why fans – and the team – keep saying: trust the process. The system is starting to click. The map pool looks deeper and more stable.

Train Becomes a Strength

A big surprise is how Train, once their permanent ban, became a strong pick versus Tier-2 opponents. NAVI played it several times in recent months – winning six matches in a row against Tier-2 teams before finally losing to MOUZ.

They haven’t shown Overpass yet, but it’s a tactical map that takes time to learn. B1ad3 plans to have it ready by the Budapest Major.

Looking Ahead

Next, NAVI will play the Thunderpick World Championship and IEM Chengdu 2025. Both tournaments are part of their preparation before the Major. A bootcamp is also planned to sharpen teamwork and strategy. In just a few months, NAVI have already improved a lot. The structure is back, and the players are gaining confidence.

If Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov avoids another weak event like in Sweden, NAVI could make a real playoff run in Budapest. That alone would be a big success and a clear sign that the rebuild is working. NAVI’s journey is far from over, but the direction is clear. They’re not chasing instant results – they’re building something stable. Trust the process – NAVI are slowly coming back.