NAVI has officially opened applications for its Junior Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) roster. It offers a pathway for young players aged 15 to 17 to develop their skills under the guidance of an experienced coach. Applicants must meet specific criteria, including a FACEIT ELO rating of at least 3,400 and proficiency in English.

This announcement comes after NAVI sold its past junior Counter-Strike team to Turkish organisation FUT Esports on August 1st, 2025, continuing their careers elsewhere. The NAVI Junior project is known for some top players like Drin ‘Makazze�?Shaqiri, who was promoted to the main roster and debuted at IEM Cologne 2025.

In 2025, NAVI strengthened its status as a top esports organisation, promoting its junior Dota 2 roster after success at PGL Wallachia Season 5. Their biggest move this year came in June, when the group joined the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), hoping they would reach the World Championship.

Visit here for more esports news and updates 

British CS2 pro player William ‘Mezii�?Merriman has made esports history by becoming the first player to get a custom hashtag on X (formerly Twitter). The Team Vitality player now has two branded hashtags: #kingmezii and #mEZii, both showing a yellow-and-black ‘M�?with a crown, reflecting his rising status.

Mezii revealed them on July 23, 2025, with X’s official UK account and many big names joining the online celebration. He also teased a major update coming on July 25.

This year has been huge for Mezii. In June, he became the first UK player to win a CS Major when Team Vitality took the top prize at the BLAST.tv Austin Major. Since February, the team has not lost a single event, winning titles at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), BLAST Open Spring, BLAST Rivals, and ESL Pro League Season 21.

Mezii is now seen as one of the UK’s top esports stars. Based on data from Esports Earnings, he has earned $935,135 (£690,868) in career winnings, second only to Jaden ‘Wolfiez�?Ashman, who made $1.3m (£960,469) in Fortnite.

Stay updated with major esports news here