NAVI signs reigning ALGS champions ahead of Pro League Split 1

NAVI have re-joined the ALGS, signing reigning ALGS champions and former GONext players Uxako, Hiarka and zhidan. This team parted ways with their former organisation after their underdog win in Sapporo at the Year 4 ALGS Championship.

It didn't seem likely that they would be without a home for long. For NAVI, this is an exciting pickup, and marks their return to the game after departing at the end of October 2024.

Uxako, Hiarka and zhidan surprised everyone with their ALGS Championship win in Sapporo. No one was really predicting them to take the title, but they were fantastic value for their win navigating a hugely tricky end zone in the tournaments final match.

However, what was perhaps even more surprising was when the newly crowned champions announced they were free agents not long after. They failed to agree renewal terms with GoNext, implying they were holding out for a more generous offer after their big win.

That was a gamble, with organizations at a premium in the EMEA region. But following their signing to NAVI, this gamble has paid off.

The question is now if this roster can live up to the expectations around them. Winning the ALGS Championship put this team in the spotlight, and they will have more attention on them than ever before.

In addition, the EMEA region has had a lot of roster shuffles, and there is a lot of unknown quantities heading into the Pro League's kick off in April. The new NAVI roster will be expected to perform well across the ALGS Split 1 Pro League and the first ever ALGS Open now they are one of very few teams to have a LAN win under their belt.

However, with new maps like Broken Moon and brand new Legend Bans, ALGS Year 5 will be a radically different playing field to what we saw in Sapporo. If this roster can adapt fast enough to these changes, then they will be able to pick up where they left off.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for full coverage of the ALGS and all things Apex Legends.