5 Hot Picks for PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage Openers

We are days away from the first CS:GO Major in 2022. Since we kick things off in the Challengers Stage, our busy bees worked day and day to give you the best picks for the tournament openers.

The CSGO odds in our selections are courtesy of GG.BET, the official betting partner of PGL Major Antwerp.

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Bad News Eagles vs Eternal Fire

We kick off our selection riding the hype train. Bad News Eagles showed that they can fight with the best and come out on top. Even though they got a bit lucky on their road to the Challengers Stage, credit has to be given to this squad.

Eternal Fire did not look bad on their road to this stage of PGL Major either as they defeated the likes of OG and fnatic. Given the fact that we are talking about the best of one match here, we are leaning towards Bad News Eagles for one reason only, they have a much deeper map pool once you remove Overpass and Vertigo.

Luckily for them, they should be able to remove both of these maps which will leave them with a comfortable map to play Eternal Fire on. At even odds, the smart money is definitely on Bad News Eagles.

Prediction: Bad News Eagles to win
Odds: 1.84

Vitality vs Complexity

Who does not like a solid odds booster for their accumulators? Vitality is coming to this match as a big favorite and we can see why. They are a much better roster in every aspect of Counter-Strike, and we simply do not see a way for Complexity to beat them.

Dust 2, Inferno, or Vertigo are likely to be played and this is where Vitality is at its best. It is also important to mention that ZywOo always shows up at Majors and he should win this match himself. Sadly, odds reflect that.

Prediction: Vitality to win
Odds: 1.34

Imperial vs Spirit

This is going to be a very interesting match to watch. To make things even better, we have found a perfect bet for this one. Both teams are coming to this match in great form. Imperial won three in a row, while Spirit is also on a winning streak with four straight wins.

Map pool for these two teams is very similar. Spirit will not play Inferno while Ancient is a no-go for Imperial. Literally, every other map, except Vertigo, is a coin flip in this match hence why betting on the total number of rounds to be played in this one is the best way to go about this match.

Prediction: Total Rounds Played – Over 25.5
Odds: 1.57

ENCE vs 9z

This one should be straightforward. ENCE is on a tear right now and they are coming into this match as big favorites. From our point of view, we completely agree with this one. They have won five out of the last six played while 9z lost two straight.

There is not really much to talk about regarding this match. Both individually and tactically, ENCE is a couple of steps ahead of 9z and this should be an easy match for them.

Prediction: ENCE to win
Odds: 1.12

G2 vs Liquid

This is definitely going to be the most-watched match of the opening round. Both G2 and Liquid are coming to this match with high hopes of going through, but sadly, one team will start with 0-1.

In our opinion, G2 is a stronger team individually, especially with NiKo at the CSGO Major. They also looked super good in their recent bouts against Bad News Eagles and Astralis.

Map veto is going to be tricky to guess right. Overpass and Nuke are definitely out, and the same can be applied to Ancient and Inferno. This match is likely to end up on Vertigo or Mirage and this is where G2 will have the upper hand.

Prediction: G2 to win
Odds: 1.55

In total we are looking at x6.72 in potential returns if we tie all matches up in an accumulator slip. Not a bad haul for the first day of competition.