Sources: NAVI is in advanced negotiations to acquire Rogue’s LEC slot

The saga is nearing its conclusion. For several months, Rogue has been actively seeking to exit the LEC, looking for an organization to acquire its slot in the league. The organization initially failed to finalize a sale before the start of the 2025 season, forcing it to hastily assemble a roster at the very end of the offseason.

Previous attempts to sell the slot were unsuccessful. Team Falcons tried to secure the slot last year, but Riot Games ultimately blocked the process. In October 2024, Nigma Galaxy also attempted to acquire Rogue’s spot but failed to reach an agreement. Now, according to sources familiar with the situation, ReKTGlobal, Rogue’s parent company, is in advanced negotiations with NAVI. A deal could be finalized soon, potentially allowing NAVI to join the league as early as the Summer Split, though this has yet to be confirmed.

While NAVI may not be a household name among League of Legends fans, the Ukrainian organization is one of the most prominent in Western esports. The club was founded in 2009 on Counter-Strike, which remains its most successful, prestigious, and decorated division. NAVI consistently ranks among the world’s top CS teams, having won the CS tournament at the Esports World Cup in 2024 and the Copenhagen Major earlier that year. The organization’s most illustrious period came in 2021, when it fielded one of the greatest CS:GO players of all time, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev. That year, NAVI claimed the Stockholm Major and completed the Intel Grand Slam.

Today, NAVI competes across multiple titles, with rosters in VALORANT, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Dota 2. The organization, officially known as Natus Vincere, made its mark in esports by winning the inaugural edition of The International in 2011, shortly after entering Valve’s MOBA.

In the past, NAVI has also fielded teams in StarCraft II and... League of Legends. The club previously competed in the now defunct LCL, the former Russian league, before disbanding its LoL roster in 2017. Should this deal come to fruition, NAVI would return to League of Legends after an eight-year absence, making its debut at the EMEA elite level. This would also mark the first team change in the LEC since Karmine Corp’s arrival at the start of 2024, replacing Astralis.