NiKo Finishes 18th in HLTV Top 20 Players of 2025

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač has been ranked 18th in the HLTV Top 20 Players of 2025. This marks a significant drop compared to last year, when the Bosnian star finished 4th in the overall ranking.

This is the tenth time in NiKo’s career that he has made the HLTV Top 20. He has consistently appeared in the list every year since 2016, underlining his long-term elite status. However, 18th place is his worst result in the past decade. Previously, NiKo came close to the top on multiple occasions, finishing second in both 2017 and 2023, while regularly placing among the very best players in the world.

The 2025 season was a relatively modest one for NiKo in terms of trophies. Together with Team Falcons, he secured just one title — PGL Bucharest. On an individual level, however, NiKo still stood out. He was named MVP of PGL Cluj-Napoca, where Falcons finished second, and also collected two EVP awards over the course of the year.

As part of HLTV’s “Bold Prediction” segment, NiKo highlighted 16-year-old Liam “MaiL09” Tüggel from Metizport. The young talent made headlines in 2025 by surpassing Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ FACEIT ELO record. NiKo revealed that he had faced MaiL09 multiple times in FACEIT matches and scrims, praising his sharp playstyle, strong mechanics, and overall potential, while noting that his future will depend on how well he develops.

NAVI Remain the Only Club Represented in Every HLTV Top 20 Ranking

The top three players of the season will be revealed at the HLTV Awards ceremony, scheduled to take place on January 10 in Belgrade. The full list of already announced Top 20 players is available on HLTV’s official platform.