Vitality Will win
On February 21 at 20:00 CET, one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament will take place — the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 semifinal between Vitality and The MongolZ. The clash promises to be intense, as on one side we have the current world ranking leader and IEM Kraków 2026 champion, and on the other — an ambitious squad that has repeatedly proven they can challenge the scene’s elite.
In this prediction, we will analyze the bookmakers’ odds, the teams’ current form, their recent statistics, a potential BO3 veto, head-to-head history, and the key factors that could determine the winner of this semifinal.
Bookmakers Offers For The Match Vitality Vs The MongolZ
Vitality are the clear favorites in this matchup, with bookmakers offering an average odds of 1.1 for their victory, while The MongolZ are priced at 4.9. The difference in odds clearly reflects the perceived gap in strength ahead of the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 semifinal.
Team Vitality Vs The MongolZ Line-Ups
Team Vitality have not made any roster changes for quite some time — their last move came at the beginning of 2025, when ropz joined the lineup. Since then, the team dominated throughout 2025 and have already started 2026 with a title win at IEM Kraków 2026.
The MongolZ recently made a roster change, replacing Senzu with the young cobrazera, who is already showing solid performances with a 1.10 rating at the current tournament. Despite the risky move, the Mongolian squad has impressed and managed to reach the semifinals.
Vitality vs The MongolZ Form & Performance
Over the past three months, Vitality have played 44 maps and won 37 of them — an outstanding display of consistency. In the last month, they competed at BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals, where they surprisingly finished 3rd–4th, which came as a shock to many fans. However, at IEM Kraków 2026, the French organization reaffirmed their dominance by confidently securing the championship.
In their last five matches, Vitality claimed five wins — against Aurora, MOUZ, The MongolZ, G2, and FURIA.
The MongolZ have played 27 maps in the past three months, winning 14 — a far more modest record compared to their opponents. At IEM Kraków 2026, they finished in 13th–16th place, but at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 they have shown significantly better form and managed to reach the semifinals.
In their last five matches, the Mongolian side secured four victories — against FURIA, NAVI, B8, and paiN. Their only loss came against Vitality. The team looks more confident than a month ago, but consistency remains a key question.
Map Pool For Match Vitality vs The MongolZ
In a BO3 format, the veto process could be a decisive factor.
Vitality’s projected approach. The French squad will almost certainly start by banning Ancient — their most frequent permaban, despite holding a 100% win rate on the map in recent months. Based on statistics, Vitality are very likely to pick Dust2, a map they have selected 10 times with a perfect 100% win rate. If Dust2 is unavailable, Inferno (80% win rate) or Nuke could serve as alternatives. In the second ban phase, removing Mirage — The MongolZ’s strongest map — would be the logical choice.
The MongolZ’s projected approach. The Mongolian team most frequently bans Anubis and are unlikely to deviate from that pattern. Their most probable pick is Mirage (75% win rate), especially considering their aggressive playstyle. If Mirage is unavailable, Ancient (67%) could be the alternative. In the second ban phase, The MongolZ are likely to remove Overpass, given Vitality’s 100% win rate on that map.
Likely decider — Nuke. The map appears relatively balanced for both sides: Vitality hold a 67% win rate and solid experience on it, while The MongolZ show competitive performances. If the series goes the distance, Nuke could become the key battleground.
Team Vitality vs The MongolZ Head-To-Head
Over the past six months, the teams have faced each other three times — all matches were played on LAN in a BO3 format.
Their first meeting took place at Esports World Cup 2025 (offline, Tier-1 international event), where The MongolZ secured a surprising 2–1 victory. The second encounter happened at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 (LAN, Major-level event), where Vitality took revenge with a convincing 2–0 win. The third clash occurred at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, once again in a BO3 on stage, where The MongolZ showed strong resistance but Vitality prevailed 2–1.
This rivalry is gradually becoming intense, and The MongolZ have already proven they are capable of taking maps off the favorite.
Best Pick For Match Vitality vs The MongolZ
Vitality enter the semifinal as the undisputed favorites. Winning 37 out of 44 maps over three months, lifting the IEM Kraków 2026 trophy, and maintaining a stable roster provide a strong foundation. The team demonstrates a deep map pool, high individual skill, and excellent in-series adaptation.
The MongolZ have already shown they can impose their aggressive style and even defeat Vitality in a BO3, but stability and experience in decisive stages of major tournaments currently favor the French organization.
Prediction: Vitality to win 2–0 or 2–1, with a three-map series being the more likely scenario if The MongolZ successfully capitalize on their map pick.
All bookmakers have agreed that Vitality is the favorite. This can be noticed because odds on them are 1.127. This number in the favor of The MongolZ amounts 5.193. Respectively, the last ones are the underdogs of the upcoming match.
How did the participants perform in the last matches
| Last Matches | Vitality | The MongolZ |
| 5 matches (wins) | 5 | 2 |
| 10 matches (wins) | 9 | 5 |
Also it makes sense to remember the statistics of the matches between the teams. The participants in the battle before the meeting played 11 matches with each other. In these battles Vitality got 9 victories while The MongolZ managed to take 2 matches.
