IEM Chengdu 2025 betting guide: Schedule, odds, where to bet
IEM Chengdu 2025 brings together some of the strongest pro Counter-Strike 2 teams in the world, and while predicting its winners is no easy task, our betting guide can help you to make the smartest picks and will give insight on where to place those bets.
IEM Chengdu 2025 features 16 top CS2 teams, each having earned its slot through the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). With a hefty $300,000 prize pool on the line, it’s one of the season’s standout events. The event will be split between a play-in stage, stacked group stages, and a high-stakes playoff bracket that will crown a champion. As part of the Grand Slam circuit, a win here brings the title-winning team one step closer to claiming a coveted ESL Grand Slam title.
IEM Chengdu 2025 overview
| Event | IEM Chengdu 2025 |
|---|---|
| Dates | November 3-9 |
| First-place prize | $125,000 |
| Overall prize | $300,000 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue | Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center |
Who are the betting favorites at IEM Chengdu?
Bettors are likely to tilt towards Team Vitality, and it’s easy to see why. The French squad rode an incredible run of dominance in 2025, including seven consecutive tournament wins and a BLAST.tv Austin Major trophy. At ESL Pro League Season 22, the team bested some of the best opposite squads the world has to offer, including FaZe, FURIA, and Falcons, climbing to the top of the world rankings. Fans wanting to place safe bets might lean towards Vitality.
FURIA and Falcons also enter IEM Chengdu 2025 among the top favorites, largely thanks to their stacked rosters.
Falcons have never looked more dangerous. The addition of Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin adds even more firepower to an already stacked lineup. Ranked fifth in Valve’s books, the team has consistently placed second or third across multiple S-tier events in 2025, narrowly missing championship titles. Chengdu could finally be where they break through and claim their first significant trophy of the year.
Team FURIA players. Image credits @ FURIA on X.
While Team Vitality is certainly a safe pick, some rosters have quietly flown under the radar but are powerful enough to be prime candidates for upsets. The MongolZ, who have once again been demoted to underdogs due to recent Senzu replacement, have built a reputation for punching above their weight at S-tier events. While most analysts have counted them out, they were still the runners-up at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. Fresh from a warmup at the Esports World Cup, they enter IEM Chengdu with more prep time.
MOUZ and NAVI both enter IEM Chengdu 2025 as dark horses with real potential to upset the top seeds. MOUZ, runners-up at last year’s event, have been looking sharp, following a second-place finish at IEM Cologne 2025 and third at ESL Pro League Season 22. Ranked sixth in Valve’s books, the team will rely on Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo, who delivered a 1.32 rating at Chengdu 2024. Meanwhile, NAVI is currently fifth on the VRS and recently finished second at the Thunderpick World Championship, making them a valid pick for bettors as well.
Teams to avoid betting on at IEM Chengdu
Looking at the list IEM Chengdu 2025 teams, the chances of great upsets are higher than they’ve ever been, but there are some rosters that are bettors may want to avoid. Virtus.pro in particular finds itself in an awkward position after a long stretch of underwhelming results across 2025. The roster featuring captain Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy has experience but lacks the firepower to pull off a real upset.
Heroic enters IEM Chengdu 2025 with a lineup that looked shaky against teams like The MongolZ and FURIA. After Virtus.pro, they’re arguably the weakest team in their group, having failed to reach a semifinal in their last five events. Their recent 0–2 loss to Falcons at the Esports World Cup only reinforces that decline.
Pain Gaming BR players. Image by PaiN on X.
Finally, paiN Gaming sits in an awkward position where it could either rise as a dark horse or completely fall flat. It’s a risky pick for bettors, with little to go on beyond the team’s #16 Valve Regional Standing. The Brazilian roster has yet to make any notable runs in 2025, and their recent early exits from ESL Pro League Season 22 and Thunderpick World Championship don’t inspire much confidence heading into Chengdu, making them a poor choice for fans interested in CS2 betting.
IEM Chengdu 2025 match schedule and odds
The IEM Chengdu 2025 will officially begin on November 3, 2025. The event opens with a Group Stage from November 3–5, during which all 16 teams will compete across two double-elimination groups. Each match during this stage will be a best-of-three, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.
IEM Chengdu arena. Image credits @ ESL
November 9 – finals
Two of the best teams in the world will be going head-to-head at Chengdu, leaving bettors once again in the trenches trying to figure out who to back. Statistically, Team Vitality holds the edge with slightly better odds, making them the safer pick for those looking to bet smart.
Team Vitality (1.52) vs FURIA (2.35)
Where to bet on IEM Chengdu 2025
Players can head over to a variety of trusted esports betting sites to place their picks, and to potentially cash in if their predictions hit the mark. Stake and Shuffle are among the best platforms currently running IEM Chengdu 2025 betting markets, offering odds on individual matches throughout the tournament as it builds towards the grand finals.
Featured image credits: ESL
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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