BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 is coming to a close. After a week of exhilarating Counter-Strike action, only the grand final awaits us, where NAVI will try to challenge one of the best CS2 teams of all time, Vitality.
This matchup will be a first for fans as well as the teams, who have yet to face each other in 2026. This will change on grand final Sunday. Can NAVI pose a threat or will Vitality roll over their opponents like they always do? Let’s see.
Here’s our BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 CS2 betting preview.
Vitality’s aura is reaching maximum capacity. Image credit: © BLAST Premier
It’s no surprise that Vitality are in the Grand Final yet again. After all, they are the best squad Counter-Strike has witnessed since the great Astralis era. At this point, you could even make a solid argument that they surpassed the Danes.
At BLAST Rotterdam, they’ve taken care of business as usual. Apart from a close series against PARIVISION and one overtime map against The MongolZ, it’s been smooth sailing for the Bees.
In the semifinals, they completely destroyed Aurora, winning both maps 13-5. Vitality faced no issues, despite the GOAT Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s pedestrian performance on map one.
After 2025, it was difficult to see where this Vitality team could improve, but they’ve done it. More specifically, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan elevated his performance to another dimension. He was already great last year, but now he is easily one of the best CS2 players.
Taking into account flameZ’s form and Vitality’s level as a whole, it would be a shock to see them come out on the losing side of a best-of-five grand final.
makazze has emerged as one of the best riflers in the world in 2026. Image credit: © BLAST Premier
After their ESL Pro League victory, there was a question whether NAVI just had a good run or are they back among the elite contenders. NAVI have now answered that question, decisively making another grand final.
Their BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 road wasn’t easy, having to face Falcons, Aurora, and PARIVISION. The international squad dealt with the opposition expertly, and are probably the closest challengers to Vitality at the moment.
It wasn’t a one-man show either, although Drin “makazze” Shaqiri is blossoming into an excellent player under the NAVI banner. The young rifler dominated in the groups, while Mihai “iM” Ivan and Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy led the way in the playoffs.
After besting their immediate competition, now comes their toughest challenge yet in Vitality. Both the fans and the players themselves will be excited to see how they stack up against the top dogs.
Can B1ad3 cook something up for the Grand Final? Image credit: © BLAST Premier
While it’s obvious that Vitality are the overwhelming CS2 odds favorites, this grand final is far more interesting than others this year, because NAVI and Vitality are yet to play each other this year.
If it were Falcons, Aurora, PARIVISION, or any other team for that matter, we would already know how the match would play out. With NAVI, there is an air of mystery around the matchup.
Having said that, Vitality are still by far the best CS2 team, favorite to win this tournament and upcoming CS2 events until another worthy challenger emerges.
If NAVI manage to win a map, or at least remain competitive throughout the series, they should consider that a small victory, coming into the tail end of the season and the IEM Cologne Major.
Score prediction:
Odds:
Odds courtesy of GG.Bet Esports and are subject to change.
Featured image credit: © BLAST Premier
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