Cloud9 CEO shuts down NAVI Junior rumor

The North American organization has been linked with a move for the young European team.

Jack Etienne denied rumors of a bid for NAVI Junior

Cloud9 co-founder and CEO Jack Etienne has knocked back speculation linking his organization with NAVI Junior, one of the hottest academy teams in the scene.

"This is a false rumor, " Etienne wrote on Cloud9's subreddit. "Sorry, guys."

Etienne's comment came after French streamer Sebastien "⁠KRL⁠" Perez claimed on his stream that NAVI Junior could be sold to Cloud9 in the summer. KRL also shared rumors of potential changes from other teams, including G2, Spirit and Natus Vincere.

After selling four players and releasing another during the winter off-season, Cloud9 announced in February that they were taking a step back from Counter-Strike with no immediate plans to return. The last player on the roster, Ilya "⁠Perfecto⁠" Zalutskiy, was released in April.

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NAVI Junior win second CCT in a row with win over NIP

NAVI Junior are currently ranked 27th in the VRS after a sensational season that saw them win four titles: YaLLa Compass Spring, Thunderpick World Championship 2025 European Series 1, and back-to-back CCT Season 3 Europe Series.

According to KRL, Drin "⁠makazze⁠" Shaqiri could be promoted to NAVI's main team this summer. After Natus Vincere's elimination from the Austin Major in the quarter-finals, Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen all but confirmed that changes are on the way. "I think something is going to happen after this," he said after the loss to Vitality. "We just have to wait and see."