Ukrainian president congratulates NAVI after PGL CSGO Major victory

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has sent a message of congratulations to NAVI for winning the PGL Stockholm CS:GO Major.

NAVI made history on November 7 as they won their first-ever CS:GO Major title after beating G2 Esports 2-0 in a nail-biting grand final that had a peak viewership of over 2.7 million people — a record number for the game.

The victory capped off a spectacular unbeaten run in Stockholm and further solidified NAVI’s status as the undisputed No.1 team in the world.

João Ferreira/Dexerto

NAVI’s achievement did not go unnoticed by the Ukrainian president

It also finally brought an end to star player Aleksandr ‘⁠s1mple⁠’ Kostyliev’s quest for a Major title. The 24-year-old is on course to reclaim the title of the best player in the world after finishing second to Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut in HLTV’s Top 20 player ranking in 2019 and 2020.

Message from the political world

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, joined the chorus of congratulations for NAVI with a tweet that heaped praise on the organization’s historic achievement.

“For decades, our esports athletes have been winning titles, making Ukraine famous on the world stage,” Mr. Zelensky wrote. “This day was not an exception. Ukrainian club NAVI won a CS:GO Major for the first time in its history.

“Another success that inspires a lot of people!”

NAVI’s success at PGL Major Stockholm came just weeks after Team Spirit, another CIS-based organization, won The International 10, the biggest event in the Dota2 circuit.

Spirit’s victory, which netted the team over $18 million in prize money, did not go unnoticed by Russian president Vladimir Putin, who wrote a letter to congratulate the players.