Vitality approach StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 as the main favorite according to bookmakers’ odds. William “mezii” Merriman’s return to the main roster should help the team restore its usual balance after a period with a stand-in, while MOUZ, FURIA, and NAVI are seen as the main competitors of the French organization.
Vitality received the lowest odds
Vitality are given odds of 2.6 to win — the lowest among all participants of StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026. The team’s advance to the Grand Final is rated even more confidently — at odds of 1.65.
This clearly shows the expectations before the start of the tournament. Vitality do not necessarily have to dominate every stage, but mezii’s return restores the team’s usual five with apEX, ropz, ZywOo, and flameZ, removing the need to rebuild roles around a temporary player.
mezii’s return should stabilize the system
mezii’s absence forced Vitality to adapt CT positions, communication, and some support roles. Even if a stand-in can give a team additional individual strength, over the long distance of a tournament, synergy and automatic execution often become more important.
Now Vitality once again have a full roster that already has huge experience in big matches. This may be especially important in a double elimination format, where one unsuccessful series does not end the tournament, but forces a much more difficult path through the lower bracket.
MOUZ remain the closest pursuer
Bookmakers see MOUZ as the second favorite. They are given 3.2 to win and 1.92 to reach the final. This is the smallest gap from Vitality among all teams at the tournament.
MOUZ approach the tournament with an updated five and xertioN in the IGL role, but have already managed to show that they can compete with the strongest rosters. That is why a potential Vitality vs MOUZ matchup looks like one of the most obvious scenarios for the later stages.
FURIA — the third main contender
FURIA received odds of 4.4 for the title and 2.15 to reach the Grand Final. The Brazilians are behind the two European favorites, but still have noticeably better odds than most of the remaining participants.
FalleN’s team remains dangerous thanks to the combination of experience and the individual strength of YEKINDAR, KSCERATO, and molodoy. In a short four-day tournament, one strong start can quickly put FURIA in a position where they are only one win away from the final.
NAVI received a much more cautious assessment
For NAVI, the odds to win are 6.3, while the odds to reach the final are 3.3. These are already noticeably lower expectations compared to Vitality, MOUZ, and FURIA.
The current NAVI roster with Aleksib, iM, b1t, w0nderful, and makazze has enough individual potential for a deep run, but the team is still searching for stability. In a double-elimination format, this leaves room to correct mistakes, but the path to the title would look much more difficult.
The tournament starts already on September 17
StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 will take place in Barcelona from September 17 to 20. Eight teams will play a double-elimination bracket in a Bo3 format, while the Grand Final will be Bo5. The total prize pool of the tournament is $500,000.
In the first round, MOUZ will play against NRG, NAVI will face Aurora, Vitality got magic, and FURIA got MIBR. Thus, all four main favorites will start the tournament in different pairings and could potentially go far enough before meeting each other.
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mezii’s return makes Vitality the most predictable choice
According to bookmakers’ odds, Vitality have the best starting position: 2.6 to win the championship and 1.65 to reach the final. MOUZ are close behind, while FURIA and NAVI have already received noticeably higher odds.
The key detail for Vitality is exactly mezii’s return. The team is once again playing with its full usual roster, and in a short double-elimination tournament, such stability may prove no less important than the pure individual form of ZywOo or ropz.
