NAVI vs Aurora: ESL Pro League Season 23 Predictions and Odds

Owen Harsono Published 15/03/2026

NAVI take on Aurora in the grand final of ESL Pro League Season 23. Both teams are looking to bag their first trophy of the 2026 season. Here are our ESL Pro League S23 NAVI vs Aurora predictions.

Natus Vincere vs Aurora Match Preview

• Tournament: ESL Pro League Season 23
• Stage: Grand Final
• Game: Counter-Strike 2
• Format: Best of 5

Betting tip: Of the four most recent head-to-head meetings between these two teams, NAVI have won all four.

Our Natus Vincere vs Aurora pick: Natus Vincere Match Winner @ 1.60

Natus Vincere vs Aurora Match Analysis

We have one of the most unlikely grand final matchups anyone could have predicted for this event, but here we are, with NAVI taking on Aurora in a Best of 5 series.

NAVI had to battle through tough opposition in the form of The MongolZ and FUT Esports. In the semifinal match against FUT, NAVI looked extremely convincing. Other than letting their map pick of Ancient slip from an 8-3 lead, the entire series was total dominance from the international squad. They have looked stellar in the ESL Pro League S23 playoffs so far.

Aurora looked great in the online stage, but since entering the arena for the playoffs, they’ve been on a rocky ride. They won against Legacy and Astralis, two teams who aren’t necessarily labeled as strong opponents. Yet, they managed to scrape by with 2-1 victories in both matches. With what we’ve seen so far, we aren’t too convinced with how they’ve been playing.

Things get even more bleak for the Turkish side, as NAVI have had Aurora’s number for a long time in head-to-head matchups. The history between these two teams shows NAVI winning 19 maps, while Aurora sit on only seven.

However, things are slightly different now, with Anubis making it into the map pool again. Aurora are arguably the best Anubis team in the world, and with NAVI setting Overpass as their perma-ban, we are almost guaranteed to see Anubis being played in this Best of 5 series. We see that as Aurora’s best opportunity to secure themselves a map.

Aurora should win Anubis in this series. (Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL FACEIT Group)

Natus Vincere vs Aurora Betting Odds Snapshot

Counter-Strike 2 betting odds via GG.BET.

Natus Vincere vs Aurora Betting Picks and Predictions

In terms of recent form, backed by historical data, we are favoring NAVI to take the series, even though the best esports betting sites offer them at just 1.60 odds. We believe Aleksib and the crew have an excellent chance of winning the series, especially when we’re in Best of 5 territory.

NAVI are in great shape. (Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL FACEIT Group)

For our second bet, we’re leaning towards Aurora taking their first map pick, which will likely be Anubis. NAVI have only played two maps of Anubis in the past three months, while Aurora have an impressive 83% win rate on the map.

Natus Vincere vs Aurora Predictions

• Natus Vincere Match Winner @ 1.60
• Aurora to win their map pick of Anubis

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.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...