The excitement at ESL Pro League Season 17 is rapidly approaching its endgame, as we get ready for the Semifinals later today (March 25).
ESL Pro League Season 17: Semifinals schedule and CS:GO betting odds
Just four teams are left in the tournament after the Quarterfinals eliminated four teams - including the likes of Team Vitality, who suffered a stunning upset loss at the hands of ENCE. ESL Pro League Season 17 has been full of underdog wins from the start, with many of the fan-favourite teams having already been sent home.
And so each of the four remaining teams have a real shot of claiming victory in the ESL Pro League Grand Final, due to take place on March 26. Whoever wins, the ESL Pro League Season 17 champion will receive $200,000 out of the total $850,000 prize pool, as well as 3,000 BLAST Premier Points and qualifications to both IEM Cologne and the BLAST Premier World Final.
However, our would-be champions have to make it through the Semifinals first - which are due to begin at 14:30 GMT when we'll be treated to a match between Cloud9 and ENCE.
Cloud9 have surprised fans time and time again with an incredible run through this month's tournament. They defied the odds to emerge as the highest-ranked team in Group A after they claimed a 2-1 victory over Outsiders in the Upper Bracket Final. Since then, they've had a strong start to the Playoffs, having eliminated MOUZ from the tournament through a 2-1 victory in their March 23 Quarterfinal match. Cloud9 are clearly on top of their game right now - but will they be able to make it through to the Grand Final?
They won't if ENCE has anything to say about it. ENCE's underdog run has been incredible to see, particularly in the Playoffs. Their Group Stage run was impressive, though perhaps not too exciting - with ENCE emerging victorious over lesser-known teams such as ATK and Rare Atom. Their run through the Playoffs has been spectacular, however, with ENCE claiming unlikely victories over some of the strongest teams in the tournament - eliminating both G2 Esports and Team Vitality. ENCE have proven that they can successfully face off against arguably stronger teams - but will they be able to do it again against Cloud9?
The odds are in Cloud9's favour here, at 1.38 vs ENCE's 2.80.
Our second Quarterfinals match will take place at 18:00 GMT when FaZe Clan will face off against Natus Vincere (NAVI).
FaZe Clan (1.72) vs NAVI (2.00)
Of the four remaining teams, FaZe Clan are arguably the favourites to emerge victorious at the end of tomorrow's Grand Final. The team has been doing a great job of making up for their disappointing showing at the recent IEM Katowice, where they finished in 7th - 8th place. Despite a slight setback in the Group C Upper Bracket Final, where they suffered a 2-0 loss to Team Vitality, FaZe Clan have otherwise been dominating the competition so far. Through the Playoffs, FaZe have already eliminated both FURIA Esports and underdog heroes forZe from the tournament, and early signs are looking hopeful that they'll claim victory yet again later today.
But if any of the remaining teams has a chance of taking down FaZe Clan, it's NAVI. The Ukrainian team had a troubled start to the tournament, after they suffered an early upset loss to forZe in the Group D Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. Since then however, NAVI have had a strong run so far, having just recently claimed a 2-0 victory over Heroic - defying the odds to eliminate the IEM Katowice 2023 runners-up from the tournament. Fans have been clamouring for NAVI to return to their former glory days, which saw them dominating the CS:GO scene in 2021. And while they're facing steep competition in FaZe Clan, there's every reason to believe that NAVI could be on the verge of claiming their first tournament win in almost a year.
FaZe Clan are the favourites to win here, with odds of 1.72 vs NAVI's 2.00.
The ESL Pro League Season 17 Grand Final is just around the corner! And with the tournament about to come to a close, you'll not want to miss a moment of this high-stakes CS:GO esports action - so make sure you check out our upcoming CS:GO esports match schedule. And before you tune in, why not make the most out of your CS:GO betting experience by claiming your free 100% bonus?
