This season has to be one of the most competitive CS:GO seasons in recent years, making for a mouth-watering prospect ahead of the IEM Cologne 2023 this week. The next 10 days will be an absolute feast of eSports action with the best 24 teams in the league going head-to-head for their share of $1,000,000 across three different phases.
With five different S-Tier event winners from eight events so far this year, it’s a congested field heading into IEM Cologne 2023. FaZe Clan is the defending champion, while Heroic has won the past two events. Throw in a strong Team Vitality and G2 Esports, as well as the ever-present threat of ENCE, and there are any number of contenders that could walk away with the title in Germany next Sunday.
We break down all the latest betting odds from bookmaker William Hill in an attempt to make sense of the best bets to make on this tricky field ahead of the first match this Wednesday.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 25th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
As expected, the odds for an outright winner at IEM Cologne 2023 from bookmaker William Hill are tight. Team Vitality has their nose narrowly in front at 4.00 with Heroic right behind them on 4.50. FaZe Clan and G2 Esports are also neck and neck at 5.50 and 6.00 as the third and fourth favourites before Cloud9 wraps up the top five betting favourites with odds of 8.00 to win IEM Cologne 2023.
Odds to make the final are similar with a spread between 1.91 and 4.00 for the top five favourites. ENCE sneaks into the top five here, level with NAVI and Cloud9 on 4.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: July 25th, 11:30 P.M. (GMT)
The bet that we suggest making on IEM Cologne 2023 is backing Heroic to make the final. There’s a good chance the team goes all the way and wins, but given how volatile the field has been so far this year that bet feels a bit risky.
Instead, betting on Heroic to at least make the final is a smart wager—the team has won the past two big events and made another two finals this year. That’s 50% of the major tournaments where Heroic has featured in the final match. Considering their current form, backing them to be there at the end with a return of 2.00 is not a bad punt to make.
For those who want a bit more bang for their buck, a high return wager is betting on Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev to claim the MVP award. The Ukrainian is one of the most decorated CS:GO players of all time with 21 MVP awards to his name. He’s claimed the award in each of the past two IEM Cologne events. While NAVI isn’t having the best season, there’s still every chance the great champion could put on a show and win his third MVP here for a return of 10.00.
