Counter-Strike 2 Esports World Cup 2026 continues on August 15 with FURIA, NAVI, Spirit, Aurora and 3DMAX in action.
The Counter-Strike 2 Esports World Cup group stage enters its penultimate round on Saturday, August 15, when 12 teams will fight for playoff spots and survival in the event.
At Esportbet, you can find free Counter-Strike 2 previews and expert picks for the six fixtures, along with odds from the top-rated bookmakers for esports gamblers.
FURIA and 9z Team last met during the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major quarterfinals, when FURIA won 2-1 en route to a silver medal finish.
The rematch is expected to play out similarly, with the best CS2 bookmakers listing FURIA as -200 favourites.
FURIA have achieved greater heights than 9z Team this season, but they have played only two games since the Major run and have not looked good in either.
Notably, FURIA needed 23 rounds to defeat Wildcard in the first round of the Esports World Cup.
9z Team have had their moments, winning XSE Pro League ahead of their trip to France, where they bested paiN Gaming in the first round with 13-3.
It was their first game in over a month, but rust has not seemed to affect the South American squad.
FURIA look like the stronger team on paper, but 9z have found success against tier-one squads before. And considering FURIA’s iffy form, a closer affair is likely.
Over 2.5 maps
The MongolZ overhauled their roster last month and have since not looked too shabby.
They are 3-1 since June, with wins against HEROIC and Wildcard, and a 1-2 loss against FaZe Clan at BLAST Bounty Summer.
At the Esports World Cup, MongolZ handled magic 13-7 in the opening round of Group D.
Natus Vincere won their first game of the Esports World Cup against 3DMAX with 13-9, marking their first game since IEM Cologne, where NAVI crashed out in Stage 3 with defeats to Team Spirit, G2 Esports, and Team Falcons.
Natus Vincere are a more accomplished team this season, with a much higher ceiling. But they have not looked great so far this tournament and might need more time to shake off the rust.
MongolZ to keep it close.
The MongolZ +1.5 maps
Magic and 3DMAX both lost their first games of the EWC 2026 group stage.
Magic had to admit defeat to The MongolZ, while 3DMAX failed to keep up with Natus Vincere.
This is a rematch from BLAST Bounty Summer on July 24, when 3DMAX won 2-1.
However, despite winning the last clash, the French squad are listed as underdogs. This is not too surprising, as 3DMAX should have lost the last outing.
Magic won the series opener 13-7 and held a 12-9 lead on Ancient before collapsing in the final rounds and losing Dust2 6-13.
3DMAX were a bit lucky to win the last clash, but it would not be fair to say they did not deserve it.
At best, this is a 50/50 match, but considering 3DMAX’s solid performance against Natus Vincere, they are an inviting pick at even money.
3DMAX to win
Wildcard kept their first match of the Esports World Cup against FURIA relatively close, but they fell short and lost 10-13.
paiN Gaming were far less impressive in their tournament opener, as they got stomped by 9z Team 3-13.
It is unfair to judge a team based on one game alone. However, paiN Gaming have not been playing well for a while now, posting a 2-5 record over their last seven games.
Wildcard have managed a better record, 3-4, over the same stretch, and while they have faced mostly weaker teams, Wildcard showed good things against FURIA.
PaiN look stronger on paper, but given how they performed against 9z Team, they are a hard sell at these numbers.
Wildcard to win
JiJieHao managed to produce a huge upset in the first round of the Esports World Cup when they upset Team Spirit 13-10, but that was a fluke.
Their next game against G2 Esports, which ended in a 3-13, 8-13 loss, is a clearer indication of where JiJieHao stand.
Aurora Gaming have not had the best start to the tournament and lost to BIG 9-13.
However, the Turkish squad picked themselves up with a more promising performance against M80 in the lower bracket, beating them 13-9 on Dust2 and Inferno.
JiJieHao are complete outsiders, and their upset win over Spirit does not change that. However, Aurora Gaming have proven to be a very volatile team, who are not to be trusted as heavy favourites.
The Chinese outfit to win a map at +162 is worth a look.
JiJieHao +1.5 maps
The day concludes with an interesting clash between Team Spirit and BIG, who are fresh off a 1-2 loss against G2 Esports.
Team Spirit suffered a bad defeat in the first round, when they got upset by JiJieHao.
Even though they managed to bounce back by sweeping Luminosity in the lower bracket, Spirit did not impress in that game either, as they got forced into overtime on Dust2.
BIG have been punching above their weight this event. However, they have only beaten the shaky Aurora and taken one map off G2 Esports.
Even the latter accomplishment is overshadowed by the fact that BIG got stomped on the other two maps, with 5-13 on Cache and 1-13 on Inferno.
Team Spirit have not looked as good as expected, but they are capable of much more than what their run would suggest.
Spirit can no longer afford any slip-ups, and this urgency should inspire stronger performances.
Team Spirit -1.5 maps
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
