The first of two Perfect World Shanghai Major European RMRs will kick off this Sunday in China, where each of the 16 teams will compete in best-of-one matchups. Check out ESB’s free Counter-Strike 2 betting predictions for the opening round, with odds courtesy of top bookmakers in Seychelles.

Natus Vincere enter the Perfect World Shanghai Major as the world’s best team, although they were knocked out of the BLAST Premier World Final in last place. As Fnatic are 33 places lower than NaVi in the world rankings and have struggled to contend in second-tier tournaments, it is hard to find many positives for them in this fixture.

Team Vitality will regain William “mezii” Merriman for the Europe RMR, and for the Major if they are to qualify, which will bring a completely different Vitality compared to the squad that finished in third-fourth place at the BLAST World Final. GamerLegion are still working things out after adding Sebastian “Tauson” Tauson Lindelof to the roster two months ago, so Vitality should have no issues in this matchup.

FaZe Clan have not lifted a trophy since April at IEM Chengdu, and there is plenty of talk about a potential roster change in the coming months. Somehow, Cloud9 are ranked as the world’s 66th best team heading into the Europe A RMR; however, if Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov can rally his squad, there is no reason they can’t make the main event and do some damage on the way.

MOUZ are rated as an unbackable $1.16 chance with Counter-Strike betting sites to qualify for the Shanghai Major. While some will say Nemiga Gaming’s form is better than their odds suggest, they have been competing in second-tier events against much weaker teams. The 4.5-round line is very generous in favour of MOUZ.

SAW are in the midst of a four-game winning streak following their ESL Challenger Katowice 2024 triumph. Last time they met SINNERS, they claimed a 2-0 win and gave up just eight rounds across the two maps. SINNERS are one of the lowest-ranked teams in this RMR, and if they can record one victory throughout the event, it will be seen as a successful trip to China.

Team Falcons have recorded eight straight losses in the last two months. The addition of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev has not changed their fortunes, and it is hard to see them qualifying for the Major unless their form reverses completely. At the other end of the spectrum, Dynamo Eclot have won nine of their last 13 matches and could be poised to spring an upset.

BetBoom Team are fresh off their YaLLa Compass Fall 2024 triumph and will put their three-game win streak on the line in the opening round. UNiTY were knocked out of that event early in the Contenders phase, but that poor result followed a decent third-place finish at the United21 League Season 20. Despite the odds, this clash could go either way, so take the plus money on the underdogs.

Sangal Esports and Rebels Gaming have met four times throughout 2024, with Rebels claiming the first two meetings before Sangal produced two dominant victories in their most recent clashes. Sangal have not played an official match since claiming the ESL Challenger League Season 48 Europe title in late October, while Rebels are fresh off European Pro League Season 20. With more time to bootcamp and study their upcoming opponent, back the favourites to win again.

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