The much-awaited festival of Counter-Strike is just a week away, with the StarLadder Budapest Major set to commence on the 24th of November 2025. In this article, we will explore everything that fans need to know about the biggest CS2 tournament.
The StarLadder Budapest Major has been divided into three stages. With Stage 1 being the first to commence, StarLadder has moved away from conventional venues and confirmed that all stages will be played in the presence of a crowd as we move to the MVM Dome for the playoffs.
Teams Participating
The event is divided into 3 stages, with teams qualifying based on VRS:
Stage 1
- FaZe
- Legacy
- GamerLegion
- B8
- Lynn Vision
- M80
- fnatic
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- FlyQuest
- PARIVISION
- NRG
- Fluxo
- Imperial
- Rare Atom
- RED Canids
- The Huns
Stage 2
- Aurora
- Natus Vincere
- Astralis
- 3DMAX
- Liquid
- Passion UA
- TYLOO
- MIBR
Stage 3
- Vitality
- FURIA
- Falcons
- MOUZ
- The MongolZ
- Spirit
- G2
- paiN
Format
Stage 1
The 14 teams in Stage 1 are a mix of 6 teams each from Europe and America, while the remaining 4 hail from Asia. With Stage 1 being the first stage to commence, teams here will compete in the B01 Swiss Bracket, unless it is for qualification or disqualification purposes. Only teams will be making it out of Stage 1, upon which they will once again find themselves in a Swiss bracket with 8 teams from Stage 2.
Stage 2
Stage 2 features teams ranked slightly higher than the ones in Stage 1 on the VRS. Featuring 5 from Europe, 2 from the Americas, and one from Asia, Stage 2 will see a similar set-up as Stage 1, with only 8 teams advancing to reach Stage 1, where the highest rated teams based on VRS will be waiting for a spot in the playoffs.
Stage 3
With earlier stages filtering out the lesser-known teams, the real fight for the Major will begin at Stage 3. Yet another Swiss format will see 16 teams fight it out, only for 8 to make it to the playoffs, upon which Quarter, Semis, and a B05 Grand Final will determine the winner.
Opening Day Schedule
| Date | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 24/11/2025 | B8 vs M80 | 17:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | Imperial vs Rare Atom | 17:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | Legacy vs FlyQuest | 18:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | PARIVISION vs The Huns | 18:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | Ninjas in Pyjamas vs NRG | 19:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | GamerLegion vs Fluxo | 19:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | fnatic vs RED Canids | 20:30 |
| 24/11/2025 | FaZe vs Lynn Vision | 20:30 |
Upon conclusion of the first round of matches, shall we get to the second round, given the results and the nature of the format?
Prize Pool
Prize money for teams at the following rankings is as follows:
1. $500,000
2. $170,000
3-4. $80,000
5-8. $45,000
9-16. $20,000
17-24. $10,000
Talents
Hosts
- James “BanKs” Banks
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
- Sam “Tech Girl” Wright
Analysts
- Jacob “Pimp” Winneche
- Jonatan “Devilwalk” Lundberg
- Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg
- Teodor “tedd” Borisov
Casters
- Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Hugo “Hugo” Byron
- Harry “JustHarry” Russell
- Conner “Scrawny” Girvan
- Mohan “launders” Govindasamy
- Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne
- Jason “moses” O’Toole
Sideline Reporters
- Martin “STYKO” Styk
- Edona “dona” Muliu
Everything is all set for the Major to start with a bang. Top talents, absurd prize pool, and an arena brimming with crowd. Lots of storylines to keep an eye on. Will Vitality mark an era? Will Donk put Spirit back on top? Can the new FaZe line-up work their magic again? In one month, we will have all the answers.