VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 1 Week 5 betting tips – Friday, May 1

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 EMEA Stage 1 regular season comes to a close on Friday, May 1, with the final two fixtures of the stage, as GIANTX clash with Eternal Fire before Gentle Mates meet the in-form Team Liquid.

Esportbet brings you free VALORANT betting tips and predictions for the two games, with esports odds from the best bookmakers in country.

• 

  Fast Payouts

---

GIANTX vs ETERNAL FIRE

Best Odds	GX -120.48 at BetOnline | EF -120.48 at SportsBetting
When	May 1, 2026 | 17:00 CEST
Watch Live	Twitch

Eternal Fire have already locked in their place in the VCT EMEA Stage 1 playoffs after beating PCIFIC Esports last week. The result was important, but the performance itself was far from convincing.

The Turkish squad dropped double-digit rounds on all three maps and needed a reverse sweep to get over the line. Against one of the weakest teams in the league, that is not exactly the kind of showing that inspires confidence heading into the final week.

• 

  The bookies' bookie

GIANTX sit at 2-2 after last week’s 1-2 loss to Fnatic, but there were plenty of positives to take from that series. They pushed the Group Omega leaders hard and looked far more competitive than the final result alone suggests.

They have also shown good signs in earlier games against BBL Esports and PCIFIC Esports, so there is a real case to be made that GIANTX are trending in the right direction. Eternal Fire have the better record, but based on recent form, this feels much closer to a coin flip.

With a playoff spot still there to be secured, GIANTX look like the better side to trust at -120.48.

---

GENTLE MATES vs TEAM LIQUID

Best Odds	M8 +100 at BetOnline | TL -138.89 at SportsBetting
When	May 1, 2026 | 20:00 CEST
Watch Live	Twitch

Team Liquid are priced as -138.89 favourites on the top-rated VALORANT bookmakers, and that number looks very playable. Gentle Mates were excellent during the Kickoff event, but they have not carried that same level into Stage 1.

The VCT EMEA Kickoff runners-up have been far too inconsistent across the regular season, and last week’s 0-2 loss to Team Heretics was a worrying result at the wrong time. It was not just the defeat, but the manner of it, with Gentle Mates looking flat when they needed a stronger response.

Team Liquid, on the other hand, have looked like one of the most reliable teams in the league. Their only real stumble came against FUT Esports in Week 3, and outside of that, they have handled their business with very little drama.

Liquid look cleaner, more settled, and much easier to trust right now. Gentle Mates still have the talent to make this competitive, but based on current form, Team Liquid should probably be shorter than this.