NAVI Junior Qualified for ESL One Raleigh 2025: A Look at Their Journey Through the Qualifiers

From Jan 18 to Jan 20, 2025, the closed qualifiers for ESL One Raleigh 2025 in Western Europe took place. The participants included renowned teams such as Tundra Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, and Team Secret, along with NAVI Junior, who were competing in their third consecutive major qualifiers.

In their opening match, NAVI Junior faced OG, a team that has become a frequent opponent in recent tournaments. As in previous encounters, OG did not present significant challenges, and the Ukrainian team secured a 2-0 victory. They finished the first map in 34 minutes and the second in 28 minutes.

Their opponent in the Upper Bracket Semifinals was Night Pulse, who had surprisingly defeated AVULUS 2-0. This match was intense, with even hero drafts showcasing balance between the teams. However, both maps played out similarly in NAVI Junior's favor. Despite choosing entirely different heroes and strategies on each map, they won both games in 32 minutes, advancing to the Upper Bracket Finals.

At this stage, NAVI Junior faced a formidable opponent—Tundra Esports—who had previously defeated Team Secret and Gaimin Gladiators. On the first map, NAVI Junior struggled to gain traction, while the second map saw them put up a better fight. Despite their efforts, they lost the series 0-2. However, with two teams advancing from this region, NAVI Junior dropped to the Lower Bracket Finals with a chance to secure their spot at ESL One Raleigh 2025.

The Decisive Match for ESL One Raleigh 2025 Qualification

In the Lower Bracket Finals, NAVI Junior faced AVULUS, who had sensationally defeated Gaimin Gladiators and taken revenge on Night Pulse. From the start, it was evident that the match would be tough, as both teams were determined to win. NAVI Junior opted to stick to their proven strategies, selecting familiar heroes for the first map, which led to a victory. On the second map, they focused on a faster-paced approach and lane-pushing tactics, which also paid off. NAVI Junior emerged victorious in the series, securing their spot at ESL One Raleigh 2025.

Dmytro Ostapchuk

Ostapchuk Dmytro – writer at EGamersWorld, ESports & Gaming Specialist

Dmytro started working at EGamersWorld in 2024 as a writer and later became a blog editor. His main focus is on esports disciplines Dota 2 and CS2. His tasks include finding topics that interest EGamersWorld readers and covering game updates, their features, and major esports tournaments. 

Dmytro has recently begun working in this field, so he is learning a lot and making noticeable progress in this direction.

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