The Paris Major has upended all expectations which is why you’re going to need some CSGO Paris 2023 predictions. Coming into the playoffs, household names like NAVI (2021 Stockholm Major champions and 2022 Antwerp Major grand finalists) and G2 (2023 IEM Katowice and 2022 BLAST Premier champions) have been eliminated, never to be seen at a CSGO Major stage ever again.

But before we celebrate an underdog story that begins in a Paris Major qualifier and ends in a Paris Major trophy, let’s take a look at the chances of this story ever being written. There are our Paris 2023 Major predictions for the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals Full Schedule

• Heroic vs FaZe (May 18th, 15:00 CEST)
• Into The Breach vs Team Vitality (May 18th, 19:00 CEST)
• GamerLegion vs Monte (May 19th, 15:00 CEST)
• Team Liquid vs Apeks (May 19th, 19:00 CEST)

Heroic vs FaZe (May 18th, 15:00 CEST)

Image Credit: BLAST

In a Major relatively dominated by underdogs, Heroic vs FAZE is as classic a Major playoffs matchup as any Major playoffs matchup can get. The two teams faced each other only once this year, which happened in the event’s first stage just several days ago. The BO1 series ended 16-7 in favor of Heroic.

Using a six-month timeframe, however, we get 2 extra BO3 series from the 2022 BLAST Premier Fall that favor neither (although Heroic did come out on top of tournament point against FAZE). All in all, three maps to Heroic, three maps to FAZE.

The gap between the two—as reflected by BLAST.tv Paris Major betting odds—becomes noticeable once we start considering the strength of the schedule. In the second stage alone, Heroic defeated FAZE, Apeks, and Liquid—now three contenders in the playoffs themselves. Before that, they have another 3-0 in the RMR to prove their supremacy.

Meanwhile, FAZE had their backs against the wall and came one round close to being eliminated in Game 2 against Bad News Eagles. And this after getting stomped 3-16 on their Overpass map pick. To give them credit, FAZE did triumph 22-19 against NAVI in an exhausting Game 3.

What to make of this if you’re planning to bet on CSGO? Heroic’s BO1 wins in the Major could be victories blown out of proportion, especially now that FAZE have had too many overtimes to potentially and finally find their footing. Unless, of course, they still haven’t.

• Prediction: FAZE 2-1

Into the Breach vs Team Vitality (May 18th, 19:00 CEST)

Image Credit: Into the Breach

Into the Breach is the first true British team to reach Major playoffs with three British players in it. Over a month ago the team earned their ticket to France by finishing third in the European RMR A, beating Rio Major Champions Virtus.pro (formerly Outsiders) 16-13 along the way. Before that, they’d had to qualify for the qualifier itself. Suffice it to say, it’s been a long and rocky journey.

While congratulations are in order, Into the Breach’s biggest adversity still looms ahead in the form of none other than Vitality, the French team who are heavily favored to win the last CSGO Major on their own soil. They claimed the 2023 IEM Rio a month ago, but all that did was whet the appetite of a team that’s never had a Major.

The Into the Breach-Vitality matchup is the real David-Goliath matchup of the playoffs, with Vitality currently being the highest-ranked team in HTLV. Looking at GG.Bet’s outright odds once again, we see a meagre 2.75 for Vitality (the lowest return) and a tempting 21.00 for Into the Breach (the highest return), which is best paired with a couple of BLAST.tv Paris Major bonuses to pare off some risk.

Can the Brits take down the French superpower after withstanding FAZE, ENCE, and Fnatic? The bookies most definitely don’t think so. Almost everybody doesn’t think so.

But then again, this has been a very surprising Major.

• Prediction: Team Vitality 2-0

GamerLegion vs Monte (May 19th, 15:00 CEST)

Image Credit: BLAST

If Heroic-FAZE is the classic Major playoffs matchup, the GamerLegion-Monte matchup is the one that wasn’t supposed to happen. In fact, both “underdogs” were on the verge of elimination in the first stage, only rallying in Rounds 4 and 5.

That said, CSGO betting sites like GG.Bet still favor Monte over GamerLegion, giving around 1.50 to the former and around 2.50 to the latter. This is because Monte’s wins over FURIA, Fnatic, and NAVI on the second stage weigh heavier than GamerLegion’s wins over 9INE, Fnatic, and Apeks. GamerLegion even lost to NAVI in a BO1, while Monte beat NAVI 2-0.

What’s even more impressive? Monte has a whopping 69% win rate after playing 184 games in 2023, by far the most games played by a team competing in the playoffs of the Paris Major. Also, Monte stands at Rank #13 on HLTV’s list with 3 players hitting above 1.15 rating, while GamerLegion stands at Rank #22 with one player having a rating of 1.14.

It’s important to note that Monte and GamerLegion have never faced each other before—not once in 2023 and not once for the past 6 months. It’s further worth mentioning that GamerLegion’s implied win rate of 40% doesn’t match their actual win rate of 63% over 92 maps in 2023, which is a reliable number to think about.

• Prediction: Monte 2-0

Team Liquid vs Apeks (May 19th, 19:00 CEST)

Image Credit: BLAST

If you haven’t heard of Apeks before the Major, we won’t blame you. Similar to those of their underdog peers in the tournament, their climb to the top has been swift and subtle.

Yet Apeks has already reached far this event to put doubt in the minds of many who would have believed that Team Liquid, the American team that’s been attending Majors for years on end, is a clear favorite. Despite GG.Bet’s 36% implied win rate for the team, Apeks has actually won 79 games out of 128 this year, amounting to a 62% win rate. Their 2.75 odds get a lot more interesting given that they’ve already won 16-12 against Team Liquid in a BO1 in the first stage of the Major.

If you know about our CSGO tips for beginners, you’re probably diligent enough to ask, “Does the difference in Apek’s win rates equal a good hedge”? We won’t convince you otherwise if that’s what you think. After all, Apeks making it to the playoffs tells a lot about their skills. Just remember that Apek’s BO1 win against Liquid happened in the only encounter the two teams have had in the history of CSGO. For Liquid, on the other hand, exchanging blows with the world’s best CSGO teams is just another day at work.

Oh, and there’s no BO1 in the playoffs.

• Prediction: Team Liquid 2-1