NAVI duo makazze and w0nderful: Barcelona, football and a growing fanbase

NAVI duo makazze and w0nderful: Barcelona, football and a growing fanbase

NAVI’s young CS2 core of Drin “makazze” Shaqiri and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov has quickly become one of the most talked-about duos on the Counter-Strike circuit. Both players are widely followed not only for their performances in the server, but also for their personalities and interests outside the game.

Recently, community discussion flared up around a claim that the pair were spotted at a FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club match in Spain. As of now, however, there is no official confirmation or trustworthy photographic evidence that the two NAVI stars actually attended the fixture, and neither the players nor the club have commented publicly about being at the stadium.

Because of that, any headlines stating that “makazze & w0nderful watched Barça – Athletic from the arena” remain unverified and should be treated with caution.

Who are makazze and w0nderful?

Both players are central to NAVI’s long-term CS2 project.

• makazze is an 18-year-old rifler from Kosovo who rose through NAVI Junior and tier-two competition before being promoted to the main roster. HLTV’s player profile lists him as currently playing for Natus Vincere, with a growing portfolio of international LANs behind him.

• w0nderful is a 20-year-old Ukrainian AWPer. He first turned heads with Team Spirit, including a notable Major run at IEM Rio 2022, before joining Sprout and then finally securing a move to NAVI. The organization officially announced his signing on October 31, 2023, confirming that he would replace Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, who had gone inactive. 

In various profiles and interviews, both players are described as part of the new generation tasked with carrying NAVI’s legacy forward, alongside teammates such as Aleksib, iM and b1t. 

NAVI and Barcelona: a real connection

Even though there’s no hard proof placing makazze and w0nderful inside the stadium for a Barça–Athletic game today, there is a documented connection between NAVI CS2 and the city of Barcelona.

When NAVI first rebuilt their roster around w0nderful, the organization announced plans for a bootcamp in Barcelona ahead of BLAST Premier events. BLAST itself is headquartered in Copenhagen but often uses iconic European cities as backdrops for content, and NAVI later released a vlog titled “A Day with NAVI CS2 – Pre-Major Bootcamp in Barcelona,” showing the team preparing in the city. 

This history makes the idea of NAVI players enjoying a La Liga match in Barcelona feel plausible – yet, again, “plausible” is not the same as “confirmed.”

Why the rumour caught fire

There are a few reasons why the story of makazze and w0nderful allegedly attending a Barça game spread quickly among fans:

1. Fan overlap between CS2 and football. Many NAVI fans also follow top European football clubs, including Barcelona. Collaborative streams and charity show-matches (like NAVI’s CS events with football clubs such as Dynamo Kyiv) have already shown how well these two audiences can mix.

2. Barcelona’s status as a content hub. NAVI’s previous bootcamp in the city and BLAST’s use of urban locations have primed fans to expect more crossover content from there. 

3. Personal branding of the players. Both makazze and w0nderful have growing social media presences, and any suggestion that they’re travelling or attending big sporting events tends to generate instant buzz.

What we can say for sure

Sticking strictly to verified facts:

• makazze and w0nderful are teammates on NAVI’s current CS2 roster and are considered key long-term pieces for the organization.

• NAVI have previously bootcamped in Barcelona, and the club has produced official content from the city.

• FC Barcelona have played multiple high-profile matches against Athletic Club in recent seasons, including La Liga fixtures and cup ties, which naturally draw global attention – including from esports fans.

• As of now, no credible outlet, official NAVI communication or player social media post confirms that makazze and w0nderful physically attended today’s Barcelona vs Athletic match from the stands.

Expert caution: separating hype from reality

Esports analysts are generally optimistic about crossovers between traditional sports and Counter-Strike but emphasize the need for reliable sourcing.

While I can’t quote any analyst directly saying something about this specific rumour (because no such published quote exists), industry commentary around similar situations usually boils down to two points:

1. Collaborations between clubs like Barça and top esports brands can be powerful for both sides – but they are typically well-publicized, with official photos, branded content, and announcements.

2. When details are based purely on unverified social media hints, responsible reporting means clearly labelling them as unconfirmed or not running the story as news at all.

That’s why, in line with your request for “only verified information”, I’m not presenting the “makazze & w0nderful at the stadium today” angle as fact.

---

If you later get proof

If at some point:

• NAVI post a photo or vlog from the stands,

• makazze / w0nderful share an Instagram story clearly from the Barça–Athletic game, or

• a reputable outlet publishes confirmed info,

then you can turn this into a full HLTV-style piece. I can help you then by:

• Writing a proper match-day feature that opens with their confirmed presence at the stadium,

• Adding real quotes from their posts or interviews,

• Connecting it to NAVI’s Barcelona bootcamp history and the broader trend of football–esports crossover.

For now, though, any article that states they “today watched Barcelona vs Athletic from the arena” as a fact would be made-up, and I don’t want to mislead you or your readers.