It’s time for another epic European Counter-Strike tournament as 16 teams are set to battle it out at IEM Beijing Europe from November 6 to November 22.
We’ll see a classic European extended group stage and the usual playoffs in what is going to be another exciting elite-level tournament. There will be matches between some of the best of the best, so fans and bettors alike better not miss this.
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Who’s playing at IEM Beijing Europe?
It’s the usual suspects and a star-studded lineup at IEM Beijing Europe with all the fan favorites and CS:GO powerhouses attending. We’re set to see eight of the top 10 teams in the world, with Heroic, Vitality and Astralis headlining the attendance list.
Overall, there will be 16 teams at the event. They’ll be split into two eight-team groups, before battling it out in an eight-team single-elimination playoff bracket. This means four teams will advance from each group, leaving each playoff spot in fierce competition.
You can find the full list of teams and their odds to win IEM Beijing Europe below:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Astralis | +400 |
| Vitality | +400 |
| Heroic | +500 |
| Natus Vincere | +500 |
| Big | +600 |
| OG | +800 |
| G2 Esports | +800 |
| Complexity | +900 |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | +1400 |
| Mousesports | +1400 |
| Fnatic | +1400 |
| FaZe | +1800 |
| ENCE | +3500 |
| Spirit | +4000 |
| Mad Lions | +5000 |
| North | +7000 |
Odds as of November 3 at Sportsbook
A tight race at the top
While Astralis and Vitality do come in as favorites, the event isn’t so simple. Heroic and Natus Vincere are only a touch behind at +500, compared to the favorites’ +400, and even Big comes in at +600. Realistically, any of these teams could win it and neither Astralis nor Vitality is a lock.
Heroic definitely comes in as a big threat, hot off a win at DreamHack Open Fall and a series of impressive results in recent months. Na’Vi are no slouches either, having placed second at the ESL Pro League and constantly battling it out with the best. Even Big, who have been in somewhat of a slump, have been challenging the likes of Heroic and Vitality.
Meanwhile, the two favorites aren’t immortal either. Astralis was defeated by both Heroic and Vitality at DreamHack Fall in October and even struggled against an MiBR squad that had been together roughly a week.
When it comes to Vitality, they’ve dropped some key maps against underwhelming teams like Complexity and Fnatic. Not to mention that despite very strong performances, they’ve faltered at the finish and come in second in four of their last six events.
Overall, we’re set for a very tight competition at IEM Beijing and it may be worth exploring all the options before picking a Sportsbook.
What can the new G2 superteam do?
The incredibly high level of competition is a big talking point at the event, but fans and teams alike will also be looking at G2. The team recently completed one of the biggest CS:GO transfers ever, with superstar Nikola “NiKo” Kovač joining the European mix.
It will be very interesting to see how the new squad will perform at the event. On their day, G2 was already one of the best in the world but struggled with consistency. NiKo may be able to fix this problem, adding years of experience and one of the highest skill levels in the game to the team.
Everyone will be looking at how G2 can perform. If they’ve already managed to meld together well, they may just prove to be a dark horse at this event.
Can the underdogs surprise?
When looking at the team list, it’s actually quite shocking to see some of the teams labeled as underdogs. The likes of Big, OG, Fnatic and Mousesports are all very capable of being the best in the world, but come in with some massive odds.
This only goes to show the insanely high level of the teams at IEM Beijing Europe, but also raises an interesting question: Will we see some surprises?
Going straight into it, the answer is most likely yes. Quite frankly, all the teams at the event are packed with talent, and while it’s very probable that the few favorites do win it, I expect some upsets along the way.
OG has been showing some incredible form, taking down Na’Vi twice at BLAST Premier Fall. Meanwhile, they were previously defeated by NiP and Fnatic, who in turn were defeated by Mousesports. There’s a big cycle of results that, when it comes down to it, show just about every top European team can defeat the other.
The likes of Astralis, Heroic and Vitality are the most consistent, but no one has managed a 100 percent win rate in the past few weeks, so we’re likely to see some of the favorites crumble here too.
