StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: Schedule, teams, prize pool, format and more

The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 marks Counter-Strike 2’s fourth Major Championship, and the 23rd Valve-Sponsored Major across the franchise. After an exciting first year for the VRS Open Circuit, Budapest brings together 32 of the world’s best teams to compete for glory, a $1,250,000 prize pool, and the right to call themselves Counter-Strike 2 Major Champions.

The prestigious tournament represents a triumphant return for StarLadder, hosting their first CS Major since Berlin, 2019. Here’s everything you need to know about the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, including venue, schedule, format, and more.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 venues & important dates

The Budapest Major takes place across two iconic Hungarian venues over a three-week period. All three group stages will be played in front of a crowd at the MTK Sportpark, before moving into the MVM Dome for the playoffs. The 20,000-seater indoor arena that opened in 2021 will be filled out to capacity as StarLadder brings back a 360-degree stage similar to the Berlin Major.

Venues

MTK Sportpark (Stages 1-3)

• Location: Kerepesi út 17, 1087 Budapest, Hungary
• Hosts: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3
• Dates: Nov. 24 to 27, Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, Dec. 4 to 7

MVM Dome (Playoffs)

• Location: Üllői út 133-135, 1091 Budapest, Hungary
• Hosts: Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Grand Finals
• Dates: Dec. 11 to 14, 2025

Event Timeline

• Stage 1: Nov. 24 to 27, 2025
• Stage 2: Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, 2025
• Stage 3: Dec. 4 to 7, 2025
• Event Break: Dec. 8-10, 2025
• Playoffs: Dec. 11 to 14, 2025

The tournament spans 21 days total, with a strategic three-day break between Stage 3 and Playoffs to allow teams to prepare for the single-elimination bracket that decides the championship.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 schedule & match results

Since the expansion of the Majors to include 32-teams, the tournament is split into three stages of competition. 16 teams enter each stage, with 8 making it into the following stage. Here’s the schedule for Stage 1 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

Budapest Major Stage 1 match schedule & results

Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Swiss Round 1 Matches

• B8 11-13 M80 (1pm CET) – Bo1
• Imperial 13-11 Rare Atom (1pm CET) – Bo1
• Legacy 10-13 FlyQuest (2pm CET) – Bo1
• PARIVISION 13-8 The Huns (2pm CET) – Bo1
• Ninjas in Pyjamas 7-13 NRG (3pm CET) – Bo1
• GamerLegion 10-13 Fluxo (3pm CET) – Bo1
• fnatic 16-14 RED Canids (4pm CET) – Bo1
• FaZe 13-5 Lynn Vision (4pm CET) – Bo1

Swiss Round 2 Matches

• Legacy 13-6 Rare Atom (8pm CET) – Bo1
• Imperial 13-6 FlyQuest (8:15pm CET) – Bo1
• PARIVISION 9-13 M80 (9pm CET) – Bo1
• B8 13-11 The Huns (9pm CET) – Bo1
• fnatic 9-13 Fluxo (10pm CET) – Bo1
• GamerLegion 6-13 RED Canids (10pm CET) – Bo1
• FaZe 13-10 NRG (11pm CET) – Bo1
• Ninjas In Pyjamas 13-2 Lynn Vision (11pm CET) – Bo1

Tuesday, Nov. 25 2025

• Legacy 13-6 RED Canids (3pm CET) – Bo1
• B8 13-11 PARIVISION (3pm CET) – Bo1
• FaZe 10-13 Ninjas In Pyjamas (4pm CET) – Bo1
• fnatic 13-3 Imperial (4pm CET) – Bo1
• FlyQuest 2-0 Fluxo (5pm CET) – Bo3
• GamerLegion 2-0 Rare Atom (5pm CET) – Bo3
• M80 2-0 NRG (7:30pm CET) – Bo3
• The Huns 2-0 Lynn Vision (7:30pm CET) – Bo3

Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025

• Fluxo 0-2 Ninjas In Pyjamas (3pm CET) – Bo3
• B8 2-0 Legacy (3pm CET) – Bo3
• RED Canids 1-2 FaZe (5:30pm CET) – Bo3
• NRG 1-2 fnatic (5:30pm CET) – Bo3
• PARIVISION 2-0 GamerLegion (7pm CET) – Bo3
• Imperial 2-0 The Huns (7pm CET) – Bo3

Thursday, Nov. 27 2025

• Fluxo 1-2 FaZe (3pm CET) – Bo3
• NRG 0-2 Imperial (6:05pm CET) – Bo3
• Fluxo 1-2 FaZe (8:15pm CET) – Bo3

Budapest Major Stage 2 match schedule & results

Saturday, Nov. 29 2025

Swiss Round 1 Matches

• Astralis 10-13 Ninjas In Pyjamas (1pm CET) – Bo1
• 3DMAX 6-13 fnatic (1pm CET) – Bo1
• PARIVISION 5-13 TYLOO (2pm CET) – Bo1
• Passion UA 10-13 FaZe (2pm CET) – Bo1
• Aurora 13-6 M80 (3pm CET) – Bo1
• Natus Vincere 13-2 FlyQuest (3pm CET) – Bo1
• Liquid 7-13 B8 (4pm CET) – Bo1
• MIBR 5-13 Imperial (4pm CET) – Bo1

Swiss Round 2 Matches

• Ninjas In Pyjamas 13-8 Tyloo (6pm CET) – Bo1
• FlyQuest 7-13 3DMAX (6pm CET) – Bo1
• Natus Vincere 13-10 Imperial (7pm CET) – Bo1
• M80 13-10 Astralis (7pm CET) – Bo1
• Passion UA 13-10 MIBR (8pm CET) – Bo1
• Aurora 10-13 FaZe (8pm CET) – Bo1
• PARIVISION 13-3 Liquid (9:30pm CET) – Bo1
• Fnatic 11-13 B8 (9:30pm CET) – Bo1

Sunday, Nov. 30 2025

• Passion UA 6-13 3DMAX (3pm CET) – Bo1
• M80 13-10 Tyloo (3pm CET) – Bo1
• FaZe 2-0 Ninjas in Pyjamas (5:15pm CET) – Bo3
• FlyQuest 0-2 Astralis (5:15pm CET) – Bo3
• MIBR 0-2 Liquid (7:30pm CET) – Bo3
• Natus Vincere 2-0 B8 (7:30pm CET) – Bo3

Monday, Dec. 1 2025

• PARIVISION 2-0 Ninjas In Pyjamas (3pm CET) – Bo3
• fnatic 0-2 Passion UA (3pm CET) – Bo3
• Aurora 1-2 Astralis (5:30pm CET) – Bo3
• Imperial 2-1 M80 (5:30pm CET) – Bo3
• B8 2-1 3DMAX (8pm CET) – Bo3
• Liquid 2-1 Tyloo (8pm CET) – Bo3

Tuesday, Dec. 2 2025

• Passion UA 2-1 M80 (3pm CET) – Bo3
• Liquid 2-0 Astralis (6:10pm CET) – Bo3
• 3DMAX 2-0 Ninjas In Pyjamas (8:20pm CET) – Bo3

We will update the schedule and results as the tournament progresses.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 format explained

The StarLadder Budapest Major will be the first major to feature VRS invites for all 32 teams, following Valve’s decision to scrap the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) after the Austin Major. The event will kick off with the three Swiss stages, featuring a combination of best-of-one and best-of-three matches.

Stage 1 will feature sixteen invited teams, with invites split across Europe, Americas, and Asia. Stage 2 and 3 will follow, with another eight invited teams joining the qualified teams at each stage.

Major simulators

The Swiss stages will still follow the same seeding system as previous majors (Buchholz System), so the traditional simulators will all work for the Budapest Major too.

• Majors.im
• HLTV.org Simulator

While much of the format remains largely unchanged, what could prove crucial in deciding the championship is the recent change to a best-of-five grand finals, that subsequent Majors will follow as well.

Related — CS2 Majors to feature long-requested grand final format, starting with Budapest Major

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 prize distribution

Where to watch StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

You can watch all the matches live on StarLadder’s official Kick, Twitch, and, YouTube channels:

• Kick (Main Stream) | (B Stream)
• Twitch (Main Stream) | (B Stream)
• YouTube