Starladder Budapest Major 2025: Stage 1 preview

The final Counter-Strike 2 Major of 2025 is nearly upon us. With three weeks of elite competitive action in store for us, culminating in the first ever best-of-five Major grand finals, StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 promises to be an exciting affair to round out the year. Kicking the action off will be Stage 1, with 16 teams from the edge of tier 1 hungry to prove that they belong on CS2’s biggest stage.

The Stage 1 teams: Who’s competing?

The 16 teams entering Stage 1 represent the lower-seeded participants according to the VRS rankings as of October 6, 2025 (the invite-cutoff). This creates a fascinating dynamic where both storied organizations and rising contenders find themselves battling out for the limited spots in Stage 2.

The flawed favorites

First up, we’ve got the Stage 2 favorites, these are the teams that should have one eye already set on the top 24 as they clear their path through Stage 1.

Legacy: If the seeding was done based on recent results, Legacy would easily be in Stage 3 instead of Stage 1. A runners-up finish at PGL Masters Bucharest and victory at the CS Asia Championship puts Legacy as one of the top dogs in this competition.

FaZe Clan: Looking at the competition here, FaZe immediately stand out as the biggest name in the field. But with their struggles throughout the year to have any sort of impact on the tier-1 landscape, it is understandable why they have slid down the VRS scale. The team heavily relies on Twistzz and Frozen to carry them through games. In Stage 1 though that star power should be enough to get them through, with perhaps even a 3-0 in the cards.

GamerLegion: Ash’s squad has been deftly led by ztr to some strong performances at big events. But those results are papering over the obvious cracks in the walls. Ever since acoR’s departure, the team has struggled to make an AWPer work in the GL system, and hypex is no exception. Their riflers are carrying the Legion’s aquila, and they alone will have to push them through StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP): The Swedish organization’s remarkable turnaround cannot be understated. Starting the year from scratch in the VRS rankings, NiP’s steady ascent through the year culminated in a runners-up finish at StarLadder Fall 2025, proving the project a success. Snappi’s leadership paired with the individual prowess of xKacpersky has restored faith in a squad many had written off. If r1nkle pops off, NiP could sweep through these stages with ease, but if the stars don’t align, it could spell an early exit.

B8 Esports: Usually when a team changes IGLs without a player change, it often leads to a dip in form. But B8 has made the move stick, with alex666 getting praise from former captain npl, and awper headtr1ck regarding his open leading style, and great communication. What all that has meant for B8, is a dominant npl, and solid run of events that sets them up as a Stage 2 favorite at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.

The upset underdogs

Right on the heels of the favorites, we’ve got three teams with the potential to take big scalps and sneak their way into Stage 2.

PARIVISION: Among the major debutants, the trio of nota, xiELO, and, BELCHONOKK is one of the strongest. While still young, these players have incredible mechanics and, under the leadership of Jame, are slowly making waves in tier 2. But their invite to the major came off the back of playing the VRS system rather than just winning CS2 matches. So Jame will have to bring out his full playbook to take down the Favorites and earn PARIVISION a Stage 2 spot.

fnatic: blameF has been one of the best riflers for at least half a decade at this point, and alongside Jambo, he will keep fnatic in any match they play. If that strategy can get them through Fragadelphia Blocktober, it can probably get them through Stage 1 as well.

M80: With NRG playing without their IGL, M80 will be the flag bearer for North America at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. The s1n-led squad has been a consistent force to reckon with for NA hopefuls, and his stars are all shining bright heading into this event. Expect M80 to be a deciding factor in who gets the final spots of Stage 2.

The Pick’Em Ruiners

Imperial Esports: The Brazilian organization once known for hosting the last dance, has reinvented itself behind the leadership of VINI since 2023. But so far in 2025, Imperial has been all about the try show. Given their record in regional matches, Imperial don’t stand out against their compatriots. But if chelo fires on all cylinders, the team can take a best-of-ones or two.

NRG Esports: North America’s other representatives face a precarious situation heading into Stage 1. With their captain nitr0 sidelined, the team will be playing with their coach daps instead. Tactically, there is no question that daps will be up to the task. But mechanically, NRG will hope that daps pulls out some of the best performances of his career to get them through Stage 1.

RED Canids: What RED Canids lacks in tactical cohesion, they occasionally make up for in firepower, especially during best-of-one matches. That puts the team squarely in the bottom half of the stage. Their path through requires not just individual brilliance but also consistency — something that has eluded them throughout 2025.

Lynn Vision:The Chinese squad brings the classic aggressive style that Asian teams were classically famous for, but much like the TYLOOs of the past, it rarely translates into sustained results internationally. Lynn Vision’s online dominance has brought them to the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, but their mechanical skill will have to be on point to take them any further.

FlyQuest: Australia’s representatives have slowly upgraded their firepower across the board, with JKS being their latest signing. But somehow all the upgrades manage to do is maintain their status as regional number one. Despite many analysts calling this the most skilled Australian roster, even surpassing the Renegades roster that made top 4 at StarLadder Berlin 2019, the team lacks the impact required to compete even at the Stage 1 level.

The Huns Esports: While TheMongolZ have made waves at the top of CS2, The Huns have slowly been building up to compete at the Asian level. Unfortunately, where TheMongolZ were built on the back of Maarah’s EU-style tactics, The Huns have chosen a more up-tempo style, which hasn’t paid off so far. As it stands, they’ll be battling Rare Atom & RED Canids to stay out of the 0-3 pool.

Rare Atom: Rounding out the Stage 1 hopefuls is Rare Atom. Much like The Huns, Rare Atoms have limited tactical depth and struggle with inconsistency. Without their stars having a lucky day, Rare Atom will find every match an uphill battle and picking up a single win will be commendable for the squad.

Key Opening Matches to Watch in Stage 1

With the opening matches locked in, we can take a look at the key games that will heavily decide the outcome of Stage 1.

FaZe vs Lynn Vision

Should FaZe be able to beat Lynn Vision? Undoubtedly. But ask any longstanding FaZe fan, and they’ll tell you that match alone can tell you how rough the ride will be for FaZe to get into Stage 2. If they start off with a dominant best-of-ones with Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and David “frozen” Čerňanský both popping off, that’ll be a positive sign for a quick and easy 3-0 for FaZe. But if they are a bit shaky, Lynn Vision have the potential to punish them quite quickly.

B8 vs M80

While the names don’t stand out on paper, B8 and M80 are both squads with great potential. Especially at the Stage 1 level, these two squads can match up quite well in both firepower and leadership. So that makes this matchup a good form check for both sides. B8 should have a slight edge in tactics, while M80 has the higher ceiling overall, a win here will ensure an easier journey ahead.

NiP vs NRG

This should be a one sided affair, but regardless of results the game itself will give us a lot of information about the teams’ potential at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. NiP are the favorites, so the degree of their dominance (especially if R1nkle shows up) will be the crucial factor. Meanwhile for NRG, a match against a tactical team gives daps some time to bring his squad together in the surface in the absence of their captain.

So keep an eye on these matches, and checkout our Pick’Em Guide to earn yourself a sweet Diamond Coin as the Budapest Major progresses.