Ukrainian team NAVI wins one of Counter-Strike's biggest global tournaments
NAVI (photo: ESL Group)
Ukrainian esports powerhouse Natus Vincere (NAVI) has claimed the championship at the prestigious ESL Pro League Season 23. In the decisive match in Sweden, the "born to win" squad defeated Aurora Gaming.
According to RBC-Ukraine, the Ukrainian organization took gold in the Counter-Strike 2 tournament.
In the final, held on March 15 in Stockholm, NAVI overcame the Turkish team Aurora Gaming with a 3:1 overall score.
Final series overview
The match was played in a best-of-five format. NAVI started strong, winning Mirage 13:7. Aurora Gaming fought back on Anubis, narrowly taking the map 13:11 and tying the series.
However, the Turkish team could not maintain momentum. NAVI regained control and secured victories on the next two maps:
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Nuke – 13:8
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Dust II – 13:9
The standout player was NAVI sniper Ihor “wonderful” Zhdanov, who posted an impressive 1.56 rating and won seven key clutches, decisively closing out Dust II and the championship.
Significance of the victory and prize
This trophy marks NAVI’s first Tier-1 win in 518 days, with their last major victory at IEM Rio 2024. It is also their first triumph in the 2026 calendar year.
On the way to the final, NAVI eliminated The Mongolz and FUT in the playoffs. Interestingly, Aurora Gaming previously competed under the tag Eternal Fire. The last meeting between the teams was in the Season 20 final in September 2024, where NAVI also won 3:2.
Earlier reports noted that global esports revenues could surpass $1 billion.
