Makazze CS2: NAVI Player Profile, Stats and Career

Drin “makazze” Shaqiri is a Kosovar professional Counter-Strike 2 player for Natus Vincere. Born on December 21, 2006, he is 19 years old and plays an aggressive entry role in NAVI’s international lineup. His path from the Kosovo scene to NAVI Junior and then the senior roster made him one of the organization’s clearest academy success stories.

Makazze reached the main NAVI lineup in 2025 and quickly became a regular at tier-one events. By 2026, he had already won ESL Pro League Season 23, earned the tournament MVP award, and added an IEM Atlanta title. His game is built around first-contact rifling, opening duels, and creating space for the rest of the team.

Who Is Makazze in CS2?

Makazze is Drin Shaqiri, a professional CS2 player from Kosovo. He was born on December 21, 2006, and is 19 years old as of September 2026. NAVI lists him as an entry player, while broader player databases classify him as a rifler. Both descriptions fit his role: he primarily uses rifles and is frequently involved in early-round fights.

Before reaching NAVI, Shaqiri competed in smaller teams while building experience during the transition from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2. His professional activity dates back to 2022. The major step came in October 2023, when he joined NAVI Junior and entered one of the best-known academy systems in Counter-Strike.

A common search is “where is makazze from?” Shaqiri is from Kosovo, and makazze nationality is Kosovar. That became especially notable in March 2026, when he became the first player from Kosovo to win an HLTV MVP award after his performance at ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals.

Makazze NAVI Career and Team History

Makazze’s NAVI career started with NAVI Junior in October 2023. He spent part of 2024 in a substitute role before returning to the active junior lineup. Over time, he developed into one of the strongest players in the project while NAVI Junior climbed into the top 30 of Valve’s world ranking.

The breakthrough season was 2025. NAVI Junior won YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025, Thunderpick World Championship 2025: European Series #1, and CCT Season 3 European Series #3. Those results showed that the academy lineup could compete with established tier-two teams and helped makazze earn his promotion.

NAVI announced on June 30, 2025 that makazze would move to the main roster, replacing jL in the updated lineup. His first event with the senior team was IEM Cologne 2025, where NAVI reached the semifinals. He joined Aleksib, b1t, iM and w0nderful under coach B1ad3, and that five-player core remains the current Team NAVI lineup in September 2026.

His role became more clearly defined after the move. Rather than playing as a passive rifler, makazze was given responsibility for entries and opening fights. That transition asked more of his decision-making, but it also gave NAVI another player capable of initiating rounds.

Makazze CS2 Stats and Playstyle

Makazze CS2 stats show an aggressive rifler whose impact is closely tied to opening duels. As of September 16, 2026, his HLTV profile lists a 1.01 Rating 3.0 over the previous three months, based on 16 maps. The number is below his best tournament peaks, but his role-specific data still shows frequent involvement in the first fights of rounds.

The opening numbers are particularly useful for understanding his playstyle. Across his NAVI matches, makazze has recorded 669 opening kills and 687 opening deaths, while NAVI have won 70.6% of rounds after he secures the first kill. His weapon distribution is similarly clear: 2,607 rifle kills compared with only 12 sniper kills for the senior team.

His ceiling was most visible at ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals. Makazze finished the LAN portion with a 1.38 rating and every one of his nine maps above 1.00. That performance earned him his first HLTV MVP award and showed how much impact an entry rifler can create when early-round aggression is consistently converted into kills.

Recent results have been less dominant. NAVI finished 9th–11th at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, lost to Legacy in the Esports World Cup round of 16, and failed to reach the BLAST Open Fall playoffs after losses to M80 and G2. That context helps explain why his recent rating is lower than the level he showed during NAVI’s strongest spring events.

Makazze CS2 Achievements

Makazze’s most meaningful achievements cover both his academy rise and his first full stretch in tier-one Counter-Strike. His NAVI Junior trophies created the path to promotion, while 2025–2026 brought the results that established him as more than a prospect.

• YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025 champion with NAVI Junior.
• Thunderpick World Championship 2025: European Series #1 champion with NAVI Junior.
• CCT Season 3 European Series #3 champion with NAVI Junior.
• StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 champion with NAVI.
• 3rd–4th place at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
• ESL Pro League Season 23 champion and tournament MVP.
• 2nd place at BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026.
• 2nd place at BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 1.
• IEM Atlanta 2026 champion.

The ESL Pro League title remains his biggest individual milestone. Makazze became the first Kosovar player to receive an HLTV MVP award after posting a 1.38 rating across the LAN finals. HLTV had also placed him third in its 2025 Rookie of the Year race, so the award followed a strong first season at the top level.

IEM Atlanta 2026 added another major team result. NAVI beat Vitality in the quarterfinals, BB in the semifinals and GamerLegion 3–0 in the grand final to claim their second trophy of the year. W0nderful earned the event MVP, while makazze added another tier-one championship to his record.

By September 2026, makazze is a permanent part of the NAVI CS2 roster. At 19, he already has two notable HLTV-counted trophies, a Major semifinal appearance and an MVP medal. His next step is consistency: reproducing the opening impact and rifling level from his best events across a full tier-one season.