The opening match of the Esports World Cup 2025 between NAVI and 3DMAX will be a real test of strength for both teams. In recent months, their results have been inconsistent, but their previous head-to-head meeting showed that this clash can be tense and unpredictable.
Current Form of the Teams
NAVI
Over the past three months, NAVI have played 30 maps, winning 16 of them. In July, the team delivered a solid performance at IEM Cologne 2025, reaching the semifinals (3–4th place), but stumbled at BLAST Bounty Season 2, finishing in the 9–16th range. Out of their last five matches, NAVI secured victories against TNL, The MongolZ, and FaZe, but lost to Astralis and Team Spirit. This highlights their inconsistency, but also their ability to defeat strong opponents.
3DMAX
The French squad has played 40 maps in the past three months, winning 19. In August, they participated at FISSURE Playground 1 (5–8th place) and IEM Cologne 2025 (9–12th place). In their last five matches, 3DMAX managed two wins against GamerLegion and TYLOO, but fell to G2, The MongolZ, and NiP. Their form also looks inconsistent, though they have shown the ability to challenge top-tier teams.
Map Pool
In a bo3 format, both teams have clear tendencies.
First ban:
- NAVI usually remove Dust2, while 3DMAX most often ban Mirage.
Map picks:
- NAVI, given their strong win rate on Inferno (83%), are likely to choose this map. An alternative could be Mirage, but their 50% win rate makes it less reliable.
- 3DMAX, analyzing their opponents’ weaknesses, could go for Ancient or Dust2. Since NAVI tend to avoid Dust2, Ancient (50% win rate) looks like the more logical pick.
Second ban: After the picks, NAVI will likely remove Train, as 3DMAX have a perfect 100% record there. The French side, in turn, may ban Nuke, a map NAVI play regularly.
Decider: The most probable remaining option is Overpass, a map neither team favors heavily but doesn’t avoid completely.
Head-to-Head Meetings
In the past six months, NAVI and 3DMAX have faced each other only once — at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 in a bo1. The match was played on Inferno and ended 16:14 in favor of NAVI. It was a tight contest that proved 3DMAX can push even the stronger side to the limit.
Match Prediction
Considering the stats and the map pool, NAVI appear to have more individual firepower and a more stable set of map choices. They’ve shown they can beat top-tier teams, while 3DMAX tend to falter against stronger opponents. However, their previous meeting demonstrated that the French squad can cause trouble for NAVI on the right maps.
A competitive series is expected, but NAVI are still favored to win with a 2:0 or 2:1 scoreline. 3DMAX can put up a fight, yet the edge in class and experience remains with NAVI.
