NaVi Will win
The upcoming clash between NAVI and Aurora at BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 is scheduled for March 23 at 13:00 EET, and it will be a crucial playoff match with a spot in either the quarterfinals or semifinals on the line. Both teams come into this series in strong form, having recently faced each other in the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Season 23, where NAVI secured the victory.
This adds extra intrigue to the matchup, as Aurora will be aiming for revenge, while NAVI look to reaffirm their dominance. In this preview, we will cover the bookmakers’ odds, analyze both teams’ recent form and performances, break down the map pool dynamics, review their head-to-head history, and provide a final prediction for this high-stakes BO3 encounter.
Bookmakers Offers For The Match NAVI Vs Aurora
In this matchup, bookmakers favor NAVI with odds of 1.59, while Aurora are listed at 2.18. The Ukrainian squad comes in as the favorite, with Aurora positioned as the underdog.
NAVI vs Aurora Line-Ups
The Natus Vincere CS2 roster has remained almost unchanged for a long time, allowing the team to build strong synergy and consistency. The last roster move happened around 8 months ago, when makazze joined the lineup. Since then, NAVI have kept the same five and continue to deliver stable results.
Aurora Gaming’s CS2 roster is also relatively stable, which positively impacts their teamplay. Their last change occurred about 2 months ago, when soulfly joined the squad. Since then, Aurora have maintained the same lineup, preserving structure and coordination.
NAVI vs Aurora Form & Performance
NAVI come into this match in excellent form. Over the past three months, they have played 54 maps and won 30 of them, showing consistent high-level performance. Their victory at ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals was especially significant, marking their first Tier-1 title in 2026. Additionally, NAVI are currently on a five-match winning streak, defeating Falcons, B8, Aurora, FUT, and The MongolZ.
Aurora are also performing strongly. Over the last three months, they have won 35 out of 61 maps, indicating solid form. The team reached the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals, where they lost to NAVI, confirming their status as a serious contender. In their last five matches, Aurora secured four wins (against FURIA, FaZe, Astralis, and Legacy), with their only loss coming against NAVI — highlighting the gap specifically in this matchup.
Map Pool For Match NAVI vs Aurora
NAVI are expected to start the veto by removing Overpass, as it is their most frequent ban. For their pick, they will likely go for Nuke — their strongest map with a 75% win rate — or Ancient, where they also show solid results. Given the current form, Nuke appears to be the most logical choice, offering NAVI the best opportunity to capitalize on their strengths.
Aurora, on the other hand, will almost certainly ban Ancient, as it is their most common removal. For their map pick, they are likely to choose between Anubis and Dust2. Anubis stands out as the most dangerous option for NAVI, considering Aurora’s impressive 86% win rate, while Dust2 remains a strong alternative at 71%.
In the second ban phase, NAVI are likely to remove Dust2 to avoid another strong map from Aurora. Aurora may respond by banning Mirage, where NAVI have experience and flexibility despite a lower win rate.
This would leave Inferno as the most probable decider — a map where both teams are highly competitive, with NAVI holding a 67% win rate and Aurora at 70%, making it a balanced and potentially decisive battleground.
NAVI vs Aurora Head-To-Head
Over the past six months, the teams have faced each other four times, with NAVI winning all of them. Their first meeting took place at ESL Pro League Season 22 (BO3), where NAVI secured a 2-0 victory. The second encounter was at the Thunderpick World Championship (BO3), ending 2-1 in NAVI’s favor.
In 2026, the teams met at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 (BO3), where NAVI once again came out on top with a 2-1 scoreline. Their most recent clash occurred in the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals (BO5), where NAVI convincingly won 3-1. This record clearly shows NAVI’s dominance in this matchup.
Best Pick For Match NAVI vs Aurora
The key factors in this match are NAVI’s current form, their psychological edge in head-to-head encounters, and their recent Grand Final victory over Aurora. The Ukrainian squad appears more stable in high-pressure situations and has a deeper pool of strong maps, particularly on Nuke and Inferno.
Aurora are capable of putting up a fight, especially if they can capitalize on their map picks like Anubis or Dust2. However, the head-to-head history and NAVI’s current momentum strongly favor the favorite.
The most likely outcome is a 2-1 victory for NAVI, with Aurora taking one map but struggling to maintain consistency across the full series.
According to leading bookmakers predictions, the team NaVi are the favorite with average odds 1.57 at the moment. Respectively, bookmakers consider Aurora to be the outsider of the match with odds on a victory in the sum of about 2.228.
Team statistics in recent matches
| Last Matches | NaVi | Aurora |
| 5 matches (wins) | 3 | 4 |
| 10 matches (wins) | 6 | 6 |
Also it makes sense to remember the statistics of the matches between the teams. The participants in the battle before the meeting played 1 matches with each other. In these battles NaVi got 1 victories while Aurora managed to take 0 matches.
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