NAVI to debut new CSGO team in special showmatch against Vitality

NAVI’s new CS:GO team will make its first appearance in a showmatch against Vitality with special rules in place.

The showmatch, dubbed ‘Match of LeGGends’ by betting company GG.BET, will be played on July 8 at 6 pm CET (10 am PT). Both teams will be debuting their new rosters, though they will be also exchanging players to mix things up, adding another layer of excitement and unpredictability to the match.

Vitality made one change to their Major-winning lineup, replacing veteran Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen with Shahar ‘flameZ’ Shushan. The Israeli rifler was one of the most sought-after players on the market after announcing last month that he was exploring his options.

https://t.co/FQpuC6zruw is serving up a thrilling show match featuring NAVI and Vitality!🔥🔥🔥

Tune in as decorated CS:GO giants NAVI and Team Vitality lock horns in the Match of LeGGends on 8 July! 🤝

Get ready for updated rosters, ZyWoo vs s1mple, giveaways and surprises! pic.twitter.com/hdkr84FNhn

— GG.BET (@ggbet_en) June 29, 2023

NAVI have not yet announced their lineup for the new season, though the Ukrainian organization has registered Aleksi ’Aleksib’ Virolainen, Mihai ‘⁠iM⁠’ Ivan and Justinas ‘⁠jL’ Lekavicius for the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, confirming the changes that have been reported in the media.

The incoming trio will replace Andrii ‘npl’ Kukharskyi, Denis ‘electroNic’ Sharipov, Ilya ‘Perfecto’ Zalutskiy. The latter two have been linked with Cloud9 in one of this off-season’s biggest moves.

The showmatch will be broadcast in English on NAVI’s Twitch channel and in Ukrainian by Maincast. According to GG.BET, there will be “giveaways and surprises” for CS:GO fans.