NAVI beat PARIVISION 2-1 to reach the IEM Beijing semifinals, recovering from a 16-14 Mirage loss with a 13-9 win on Inferno and a 13-10 finish on Ancient. The result ends a wait of almost six months for a Big Event semifinal, NAVI’s first since winning IEM Atlanta, and sets up a meeting with The MongolZ.
w0nderful delivered NAVI’s steadiest impact across the series, but the comeback took contributions across the lineup. Aleksib helped force overtime on Mirage, makazze supplied key entries on Inferno, and b1t found the final openings on Ancient.
NAVI had a rough start on Mirage, falling behind 9-3 at halftime as Jame repeatedly read its attack and zweih added high-impact rounds. A PARIVISION pistol win put the map within reach, but w0nderful’s openings and multi-kills helped NAVI claw back. Two late plays from Aleksib sent the map to overtime.
PARIVISION regained control in overtime. xiELO broke through A to claim a T-side round, then zweih’s CT-side run shut down the comeback and gave his team the opening-map lead.
Inferno began with PARIVISION ahead 4-0, but w0nderful’s multi-kills helped NAVI recover on defense. After the switch, Aleksib’s calls and makazze’s entry kills helped NAVI take the map 13-9 and level the series.
NAVI opened Ancient with an aggressive CT approach and built an early lead. FL1T and HObbit helped PARIVISION stay close, and the second half traded rounds as both sides adjusted.
b1t found two entries on a B push to end the contest 13-10 and send NAVI through.
The series win follows recent results that have helped NAVI return to the semifinals. The team beat Spirit and FURIA in Bucharest, where FURIA went on to win the tournament, then defeated Falcons twice in Beijing, including the win that secured its playoff place.
In an interview with HLTV, b1t described a difficult season in which small details had been missing, despite NAVI facing strong opponents. He said the team’s recent form has made Counter-Strike enjoyable again, crediting a more collective approach: “Everybody’s involved, everybody trying to make solutions, try to be a big part of the team.”
NAVI will face The MongolZ in the semifinal. b1t said the team would prepare as usual and treat its opponent as a strong team. After Beijing, NAVI plans to return home for three or four days of rest, practice online, then travel to a boot camp ahead of the Major. The team will skip BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong and begin the Major in Stage 2.
Other rounds across the series featured Jame’s AWP hold, a clutch from Jame, entry work from Aleksib, and multi-kill plays by zweih, FL1T and b1t.
Which moment stood out most in NAVI’s comeback, w0nderful’s response on Mirage or b1t’s closing entries on Ancient? Follow NAVI’s semifinal run and its preparations for the Major through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
