BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 Closed Qualifier betting picks – Tuesday, January 13

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 kicks off on Tuesday, January 13, with the first four fixtures of the closed qualifiers, when eight Counter-Strike 2 teams will start their quest for a LAN stage invite.

The day begins with a clash between OG and FUT Esports, followed by EYEBALLERS taking on FaZe Clan, Fnatic facing off against Astralis, and ending with a fixture between HOTU and Aurora Gaming.

Esportbet brings you free CS2 betting predictions and expert picks for the day, with odds courtesy of the top esports bookmakers.

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  Fast Payouts

EYEBALLERS vs FAZE CLAN

FaZe Clan are priced as -454.55 favourites to defeat EYEBALLERS on the top Counter-Strike 2 betting sites. This gives them a 82% implied probability of winning on Tuesday, which is a very high number, but a justifiable one.

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  The bookies' bookie

Despite their lackluster results throughout the 2025 season, FaZe found traction in December and made it to the StarLadder Budapest Major, proving they can perform when it matters. This, however, does not take away from the fact that FaZe are known for slow tournament starts.

EYEBALLERS are unlikely to cause any major upsets. However, at $2.20, it is worth taking a stab at the underdogs forcing a close game against slow starters.

FNATIC vs ASTRALIS

Fnatic and Astralis will face off on Tuesday for the first time since September 2024, with entirely different rosters.

Fnatic enter BLAST Bounty Winter without Benjamin “blameF” Bremer, who left for BIG. While they have acquired Pavle “maden” Bošković, losing their best player is a major concern for the Black & Orange.

Astralis have also made some adjustments, transitioning to an international lineup with the arrival of Love “phzy” Smidebrant and Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas. While promising additions, the duo have yet to feature in an official match.

Astralis have the talent to produce a better season compared to 2025. However, with two new players, there are bound to be some growing pains.

HOTU vs AURORA GAMING

Aurora Gaming are viewed as huge favorites to win their opening match of BLAST Bounty Winter as they take on world No.35, HOTU.

The Turkish outfit produced a mixed bag of results in 2025. Despite winning PGL Masters Bucharest and finishing second at the Esports World Cup, they struggled to keep up with the world’s elite teams, mainly due to inconsistent performances.

Even though Aurora are not to be trusted to produce a deep run in BLAST Bounty, they are a class above HOTU who lack the experience of facing Tier-1 teams and have only found success in lower, C-Tier events.