NAVI vs The MongolZ: ESL Pro League Season 23 Predictions

Owen Harsono Published 11/03/2026

NAVI and The MongolZ will face off in the opening series of the ESL Pro League Season 23 playoffs. This matchup is shaping up to be one of the closest contests of the first round, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. Here are our predictions for the ESL Pro League S23 NAVI vs The MongolZ match.

Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ Match Preview

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

Betting tip: The MongolZ coach maaRa will not attend the event in person. However, he will still support the team through online methods.

Our Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ pick: Over 2.5 Maps @ 1.94

Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ Match Analysis

Two top ten teams in the world will play in an elimination match in the ESL Pro League Season 23 playoffs, with the best esports betting sites labeling NAVI as the slight favorites to take the series.

To get to this point, NAVI had to claw their way through a hard-fought Swiss Stage run. The international squad scraped past with a 3-2 record, tanking losses to the likes of G2 Esports and Legacy. Judging from recent results, NAVI look a little shaky, but when we put them in a LAN environment, they’ll usually turn up.

The MongolZ, on the other hand, ended their Swiss Stage campaign with a more convincing result. Aside from a loss to MOUZ, The MongolZ took down every other opponent to finish 3-1. Despite a strong showing, the Mongolian squad will enter the playoffs with a handicap, as the team’s coach maaRa will not show up to the event.

(Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL)

We have two evenly matched teams, making it hard to pick a clear winner. However, the veto gives us an important tell.

Both teams love avoiding Overpass and Anubis, so we’ll likely see these two teams come to an agreement and remove both maps from the pool.

This would likely allow NAVI to pick Ancient, which is their best map and also The MongolZ’s lowest win-rate map. At the same time, it would open the door for The MongolZ to select Mirage, which is their most successful map and one of NAVI’s weakest.

In other words, both teams are likely to enter the series playing their strongest maps while simultaneously targeting their opponent’s weakest ones.

Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ Betting Odds Snapshot

Counter-Strike 2 betting odds via GG.BET.

Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ Betting Picks and Predictions

NAVI aren’t looking at their best right now, while The MongolZ will play the tournament without their trusty coach standing behind them. With this in mind, it’s really hard to predict which team will come out on top.

(Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL)

So, our best angle is the maps market. For the reasons stated above, both teams should be able to comfortably take their own map picks and force the series into a decider. As a result, we’re taking over 2.5 maps and skipping the match winner market.

Natus Vincere vs The MongolZ Predictions

• Over 2.5 Maps @ 1.94

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.

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