PGL Astana is just a week away and is all set to be one of the important tournaments leading up to the Major. With several top teams skipping Astana to prepare for the Major, Team Spirit will come into the event as the undisputed favorites.
Unfortunately for the fans, big names like Vitality, Falcons, MOUZ, and FaZe have chosen to skip the event, but Spirit will face tough competition from NAVI, G2, Aurora, and MongolZ. Goes without saying that despite the lack of top teams, Spirit will have it anything but easy if they are to go all the way through.
Teams
- Spirit
- Natus Vincere
- Aurora
- The MongolZ
- G2
- GamerLegion
- Virtus.pro
- Astralis
- paiN
- MIBR
- M80
- FURIA
- BIG
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- ODDIK
- HOTU
Schedule
| Date | Time | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/05/2025 | 10:30 | Aurora | vs | BIG |
| 10/05/2025 | 10:30 | Astralis | vs | ODDIK |
| 10/05/2025 | 13:30 | The MongolZ | vs | FURIA |
| 10/05/2025 | 13:30 | G2 | vs | MIBR |
| 10/05/2025 | 16:30 | Natus Vincere | vs | M80 |
| 10/05/2025 | 16:30 | Virtus.pro | vs | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| 10/05/2025 | 19:30 | Spirit | vs | GamerLegion |
| 10/05/2025 | 19:30 | paiN | vs | HOTU |
Prize Pool
1. $400,000
2. $187,500
3. $150,000
4. $87,500
5-8. $62,500
9-11. $31,250
12-14. $18,750
15-16. $12,500
Talent
Hosts
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| James “BanKs” Banks | Stage |
| Richard “Richard Lewis” Lewis | Desk |
| Sam “Tech Girl” Wright | Desk |
Analysts
| Name |
|---|
| Dustin “dusT” Mouret |
| Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg |
| Sudhen “Bleh” Wahengbam |
| Janko “YNk” Paunović |
Casters
| Name |
|---|
| Harry “JustHarry” Russell |
| Hugo “Hugo” Byron |
| Alex “Machine” Richardson |
| Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill |
| Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne |
| Jason “moses” O’Toole |
| Anders “Anders” Blume |
| Daniel “ddk” Kapadia |
PGL Astana has everything it takes to be a top-tier CS tournament despite top teams skipping it. While we have IEM Dallas right after this with another set of teams missing, most of the teams will look to keep their best tactics away from the eyes of the world. Astana might give us a sneak peek into what the teams’ strategies would look like in the Major, but not every team will be willing to completely expose their playbook.