NAVI joins the LEC — their entry could refresh league and team viewership

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Ukrainian esports club Natus Vincere (NAVI) announced that they will join the LEC immediately, competing in the upcoming Summer Split. NAVI are one of the globe’s most popular esports organisations, and their presence could be a difference maker for the league’s viewership. Esports Charts has a closer look at the potential behind this move.

Natus Vincere is confirmed to have acquired Rogue’s LEC slot, beginning with the Summer Split 2025. NAVI previously attempted to enter League of Legends esports in the early 2010s, but their first attempts found little ground in the regional European scene. In 2016, they returned with a stronger roster to complete in the new League of Legends Continental League, but after totally rebuilding their roster in 2017, worse results followed, and ultimately, they sold their LCL spot for 2018 onwards.

A new story. Our chapter begins now. pic.twitter.com/VJD2tMqCCv

— NAVI LoL (@NAVILeague) June 13, 2025

Now, NAVI is buying Rogue’s LEC spot, who was in a similar position to NAVI in 2017. Rogue has been struggling in the LEC competitively for a few years now, and on top of this unfortunate reality, the team is also one of the least popular LEC teams: throughout the last 3 LEC events, Rogue has consistently placed in the bottom three teams by Average Viewers. Rogue’s results over the past years seemed to spell an exit for the organisation, but as the saying goes, when a door is closed, a window opens. 

Recently, NAVI has been expanding in many other esports games, leveraging their brand as one of the world’s top organisations. This entrance to the LEC marks another one of the monumental moves made by the team this year. The Ukrainian club recently signed new teams and players for Apex Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Chess, all within 2025 so far. NAVI is expanding their efforts in the build-up to the EWC, just like many other esports teams.

With NAVI joining the League of Legends EMEA Championship, this will likely have a potentially rejuvenating effect on the league’s viewership: a high-profile name like NAVI joining the league could well bring a new wave of fans to the LEC. In Counter-Strike 2, one of NAVI’s most popular audiences, their team regularly achieves viewership higher than the events’ own average, positively influencing all of their statistics. 

In the early months of 2025, NAVI’s average concurrent viewership as part of various Counter-Strike 2 tournaments was noticeably higher than the event’s own average. Even at the BLAST Open Spring 2025, where NAVI finished only 5th/6th, the team received an average viewership over 60% higher than the event’s own total. The Ukrainian organisation consistently outperforms the generally average viewership at esports events.

Counter-Strike is Natus Vincere’s homeground, but the Ukrainian club is finding ground all around the globe in various esports titles. Bridging the gap to the Asian market, NAVI entered top-level Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports by acquiring Rebellion Esports’ team and their MPL Indonesia slot. Rebellion Esports’ story is similar to Rogue, low viewership and poor results: taking over from a back marker has presented some challengers for NAVI in MLBB. 

Unfortunately, NAVI has had a rude awakening as an MPL newcomer, finishing the regular season in last place with a 0-16 record. Despite these competitive shortcomings, the team still managed to break over 1,000,000 Peak Viewers for one of their group stage matches, against the ever-popular RRQ. As the club gets more comfortable in MLBB, they’ll hopefully be able to put more competitive results on the board, and develop a stronger fanbase in the esports title.

NAVI’s expansions to MLBB are not limited to the MPL Indonesia; the team also signed two female rosters representing the Philippines and Malaysia, and NAVI fields a roster in the feeder-league MDL Indonesia circuit. In recent events for these other NAVI rosters, the team has shown promising viewership results, ranking ahead of more established organisations in the region.

NAVI’s popularity as a global esports organisation is truly undeniable, and their jump into the LEC will likely not only increase engagement from the LEC’s current audience, but also bring a new swathe of NAVI fans to the LEC, and from a wider perspective, League of Legends esports as a whole. However minor, it is true that small Russian and Ukrainian-speaking audiences have already begun following the MPL Indonesia since NAVI’s entrance.

NAVI has a domineering presence in esports media, and their entry to the league is sure to be supported by heaps of content, external coverage, and fan excitement. Just as teams such as Karmine Corp, Los Ratones, and Gentle Mates have revolutionised the viewership of their respective circuits, NAVI could bring the LEC to new heights in 2025.