Aurora vs Astralis: ESL Pro League Season 23 Predictions

Owen Harsono Published 14/03/2026

Astralis and Aurora face off in the ESL Pro League Season 23 semi final, with both teams looking for their first grand final appearance in 2026. Here are our ESL Pro League S23 Astralis vs Aurora predictions.

Aurora vs Astralis Match Preview

• Tournament: ESL Pro League Season 23
• Stage: Semi Finals
• Game: Counter-Strike 2
• Format: Best of 3

Betting tip: Astralis took down tournament favorites Team Spirit with a dominant 2-0 victory. They should not be underestimated.

Our Aurora vs Astralis pick: Astralis Match Winner @ 2.06

Aurora vs Astralis Match Analysis

Aurora are off to a rocky start here at ESL Pro League. Their opening match against Legacy was truly a strange one. Aurora won 19 rounds in a row across the first two maps, taking the first one 13-4 and leading 6-0 on the second. But all of this was only to lose 12 rounds in a row and drop the second map. The Turkish squad still won the series, but it wasn’t necessarily a performance that inspires confidence.

Aurora’s opening match was an anomaly. (Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL FACEIT Group)

On the other side, we have Astralis, who are still a few months into their new international project. They were tasked with facing Team Spirit – the number one candidate to win the entire event. Not only did Astralis manage to pull off the upset, but they destroyed them. Astralis won the series 2-0, and the maximum number of rounds Spirit posted on each map was seven.

What’s interesting is that both teams have set their perma-bans to the opposing side’s best maps. Astralis always take out Anubis, which is a map Aurora have an 83% win rate on, while Aurora always removes Ancient, a map with an 80% win rate for Astralis. This means we have an open map pool and can expect a competitive series.

The best esports betting sites label this matchup as a close affair, with Aurora being the slight favorite. This series has all the ingredients to be a close one.

Aurora vs Astralis Betting Odds Snapshot

Counter-Strike 2 betting odds via GG.BET.

Aurora vs Astralis Betting Picks and Predictions

Normally, we’d favor Aurora to take playoff matches against teams that are lower-ranked than them. However, after seeing how well Astralis played against Team Spirit, we really had to think twice.

Astralis eliminated the strongest team at the event. (Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL FACEIT Group)

Winning against Team Spirit as the underdogs, and in such dominant fashion, is a statement that this new Astralis lineup are no pushovers. And considering the Danish side is being priced at over 2.0 odds, we’re backing them in this matchup to take the win.

Aurora vs Astralis Predictions

• Astralis Match Winner @ 2.06

Odds via GG.Bet. More on this esports betting site in our GG.Bet review.

Owen Harsono

About Owen Harsono

Owen lives for competition, spending most of his gaming hours on Dota 2, CS2, and Valorant. A regular on the SEA Dota 2 leaderboards, he combines his first-hand experience with a deep passion for esports journalism, following the professional scenes of all three esports betting titles religiously. When he’s not writing, he’s most probably betting on esports and watching the latest events.

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