FISSURE Playground #3 Tournament Preview & Betting Tips

The Counter-Strike 2 season is nearing its next big stop, as 16 teams head to China for FISSURE Playground #3.

The CS2 FISSURE Playground returns to our screens on Tuesday, September 8, with the third instalment of the CS2 esports tournament, and the first since September 2025.

Unlike the last event, which was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia, FISSURE Playground #3 will head to Suzhou, China, where 16 teams will battle it out for the biggest slice of the US$1,000,000 prize pool and the coveted trophy.

Of the 16 attending squads, 15 have secured direct invites based on their Valve Regional Standings (VRS) position as of the August update. The final spot went to 5star eSports, who won the regional qualifier.

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The tournament will run for six days, during which the attending squads will battle through a familiar competitive format. The action begins with a double-elimination group stage, where the 16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight.

All group-stage matches are played as best-of-three, with the top three teams per group securing a spot in the playoffs.

Group winners get a semifinal bye, while the runners-up and third-place squads advance to the quarterfinals as high and low seeds.

FISSURE Playground #3 playoffs are single-elimination, with quarterfinals and semifinals played as Bo3, while the grand final is Bo5.

With 18 matches scheduled to be played out over six days, FISSURE Playground #3 promises to produce many memorable moments and numerous betting opportunities to explore. Some of those you can find here.

Esportbet brings you a free FISSURE Playground #3 tournament preview and outright betting tips for the event, along with a few words about the main favourites and odds courtesy of the best CS2 betting sites.

FISSURE Playground #3 outright odds

• FURIA – +225
• G2 Esports – +350
• Legacy – +400
• FaZe Clan – +700
• 9z Team – +1000
• BetBoom Team – +1000
• Astralis – +1200
• The MongolZ – +1200
• PARIVISION – +2000
• GamerLegion – +4000
• BIG – +5000
• MIBR – +6600
• Magic – +6600
• TYLOO – +10000
• Alliance – +10000
• 5star eSports – +25000

FISSURE Playground #3 teams to watch

FURIA

FURIA enter FISSURE Playground #3 as the defending champions, having won FISSURE Playground #2 just under one year ago.

While a lot has changed since, FURIA remain the main candidates to lift the trophy on Sunday, as they are billed as the team to beat in China.

Their status as FISSURE Playground #3 top dogs is justifiable with a long stretch of promising results FURIA have produced in recent months.

They made the finals of Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major, finished the Esports World Cup in fourth place, and ended BLAST Open Fall in fifth-sixth following defeats to Team Spirit and Team Vitality.

FURIA have not won many titles, but they have only really struggled against elite rosters, many of whom will not travel to China for FISSURE Playground #3.

Legacy

Legacy join the short list of serious candidates to win FISSURE Playground #3, having displayed strong form in recent competitive endeavours.

The Brazilians were particularly impressive at the EWC, where they defeated Natus Vincere, Team Falcons, and FURIA.

Even more recently, at BLAST Open Fall, Legacy did not disappoint, but did not make it far, as they had to play Falcons and Vitality, both of whom Legacy pushed to map three.

The early elimination from BLAST Open does not look good on paper, but it gave Legacy some extra time to prepare for FISSURE Playground #3.

G2 Esports

G2 Esports are one of the more interesting teams attending FISSURE Playground #3.

While they have not been consistently good this season, G2 Esports seem to be finding some stride, as evident from their promising run at BLAST Open Fall.

There, G2 Esports left a memorable impression, beating Aurora Gaming twice and Natus Vincere in a 2-0 sweep.

Even before BLAST Open, G2 Esports had shown they have a bite to them, notably by reaching the playoffs of IEM Cologne Major and with a 3-1 run at the Esports World Cup.

FaZe Clan

FaZe Clan have done well following the major roster overhaul, and even though they have yet to reach their old heights, FaZe remain a threat.

A big reason why FaZe should not be underestimated is their potential, as this roster has enough raw quality to compete for the biggest trophies of the season.

While FaZe have yet to reach 100% strength, they have taken time off recently by skipping BLAST Open Fall, giving them valuable time to prepare for FISSURE Playground #3, where FaZe can aim to prove their worth against the world’s best teams.

9z Team

9z Team return to China, where they found success in July by winning XSE Pro League.

Since then, 9z have reached the quarterfinals of IEM Cologne Major; however, they were not that great at the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Fall.

In the last two tournaments, 9z placed 17th-24th and 13th-16th, suggesting they have lost some momentum.

9z Team have shown good things before, so the potential is there. However, given their poor form of late, it is fair to be cautiously optimistic about how high 9z can fly.

Astralis

Astralis have been very up and down this season, having shown some promising signs at different points.

They won silver at PGL Bucharest 2026, then went on a long stretch of middling results, and made the semifinals of BLAST Bounty Summer, before exiting EWC in ninth-16th.

Consistency has not been Astralis’ strong suit, but they have shown they have the tools to deal with some tier-one teams, taking maps off MOUZ and G2 Esports.

PARIVISION

PARIVISION are one of the outsiders to win FISSURE Playground #3, having not been hugely successful this season.

However, PARIVISION placed second at XSE Pro League in July and, after a group-stage elimination from the Esports World Cup, they have had three weeks to prepare for the upcoming event.

Known for their firepower, PARIVISION can trouble any team in the world. But PARIVISION have yet to prove they can do well enough in other areas to compete for big trophies.

FISSURE Playground #3 predictions

Outright bet – FURIA to win

FURIA are billed as the main favourites to win FISSURE Playground #3, and that is hard to argue with.

They have not had as much time to prepare for the tournament as some other squads, which could lead to weaker performances early. However, FURIA are the most accomplished team in the field, known to deliver when it matters most.

They had a solid performance at IEM Cologne, then added two more deep tournament runs at the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Fall, having only struggled against elite rosters.

The softer field at FISSURE Playground #3 should not present FURIA with as many challenges, creating a fairly easy path to another strong finish.

Outsider bet – FaZe Clan to reach the final

Looking purely at teams’ results, FaZe Clan might not be the most appealing pick to win FISSURE Playground #3.

But if we consider this roster’s potential, FaZe become a much more inviting choice.

Even after the major overhaul, FaZe have been showing good things, with a deep run at BLAST Bounty Summer and some solid performances at the Esports World Cup.

They have also had nearly a month to prepare for FISSURE Playground #3, which is nothing to sneeze at.

With players like Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and David “frozen” Čerňanský, who can perform under pressure, and Jason “JBOEN” Nielsen, who has quickly become an irreplaceable asset, FaZe have the tools to impress.