The first CS:GO tournament of the year is upon us! The 12 teams have been separated into three groups - with the Group C matches due to close out the first round of the Group Stage.
BLAST Premier Spring Groups: Group C schedule
Each of the 12 participating teams have been separated into Groups A, B and C - with the groups in each team seen below. The teams are all competing for their share of the $177,498 prize pool, with the top six teams receiving an invitation to the Spring Final.
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| Heroic | FaZe Clan | G2 |
| Astralis | OG | Natus Vincere |
| Team Vitality | Team Liquid | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| Evil Geniuses | Complexity Gaming | BIG |
The Group C matches will begin with the upper bracket semifinals, taking place on January 20 and 21.
First up in Group C is the face-off between G2 Esports and BIG, taking place at 5:30PM GMT on January 20.
G2 ended 2022 on a fantastic note, and are coming into 2023 with some real momentum behind them. They closed out the 2022 season by being crowned the champions of the BLAST Premier World Final, where they defeated Team Liquid in a decisive 2-0 victory. It was a great end to an otherwise mixed year for the organisation, with a strong performance at IEM Katowice undermined by disappointing showings at ESL Pro League Season 15 and PGL Major Antwerp 2022.
BIG meanwhile also had a bit of a mixed time of it last year - and while they don't have quite as much to brag about as G2, they did earn a few bragging rights last year. Perhaps their highlight of 2022 came in June, where they won the Roobet Cup, defeating FaZe Clan 2-1 in the grand final. They struggled elsewhere in the year though, ranking 17th - 20th at IEM Cologne and 12th - 14th at PGL Major Antwerp 2022.
The odds are in G2's favour here, with odds of 1.26 vs BIG's 3.40 - perhaps unsurprisingly so, given G2's fantastic performance at the BLAST Premier World Final last year.
The second match in Group C meanwhile will see Natus Vincere (NAVI) going up against Ninjas in Pyjamas at 11:00 AM GMT on January 21.
NAVI (1.52) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (2.35)
While perhaps not living up to their phenomenal 2021 record, NAVI still had a strong 2022. The Ukrainian team were the champions of last year's BLAST Premier Spring Finals, a result that they'll be surely eager to repeat. Later on in the year, they were triumphant at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, though fell short at the Fall Finals, ranking in 5th - 6th place. Despite having some impressive results, it's a remarkable drop from their unbelievable run in 2021, where they dominated almost every tournament they competed in. Time will tell if the team can get back on top form in 2023.
Ninjas in Pyjamas meanwhile had some respectable performances in 2022, but no wins at any S-tier events. They came close repeatedly, with 3rd-4th placements at ESL Pro League Season 15 and BLAST Premier Fall Finals, but were ultimately denied victory at each turn. The team has been making some recent roster changes in a bid to turn their fortunes around, having acquired Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov from NAVI Junior earlier this month.
Whoever you're supporting in this year's Spring Groups, make sure you're signed up to claim your free 100% bonus! We have a full year of world-class CS:GO action ahead of us, and we'll be keeping you up to date at every step of the way.
