s1mple returns to the Major stage for StarLadder Budapest Major showmatch

Counter-Strike’s GOAT Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev will be returning to the major stage at the StarLadder Budapest Major. While his greatest rival, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, looks to secure his third Major trophy, s1mple will be battling it out in the showmatch against a team led by Brazilian legend Epitácio “TACO” de Melo.

s1mple, who most recently played with FaZe Clan at the majors, currently plays with BC.Game, a tier two squad featuring the likes of Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and Andreas “aNdu” Maasing. The Ukrainian sniper will be leading Team GOAT featuring his former NAVI teammate jL in the showmatch.

Related—The 10 moments that defined s1mple’s NAVI era in CS:GO

Two-time Major champions TACO will be leading the Brazilian Team VACO, looking to take down s1mple and co. in the showmatch. Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, the star of Furia, will also be lending his talents to Team VACO, alongside the ever-popular Brazilian streamer Alexandre “gAuLeS” Borba.

StarLadder Budapest Major Showmatch Teams

Team VACO

• Epitácio “TACO” de Melo
• Alexandre “gAuLeS” Borba
• Fillipe “bt0” Moreno
• Jean “mch” Michel D’Oliveira
• Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato

Team GOAT

• Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
• Vadim ‘Evelone192’ Kozakov
• Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
• Michał “MICHU” Müller
• Austin “Austin” Meadows

StarLadder Budapest Major – Grand Finals Sunday Schedule

While all eyes are set on the epic Grand Finals between Vitality and FaZe, the showmatch will kick off two hours prior in the MVM Dome. Both teams will battle it out in a best-of-one match, with potential shenanigans on the menu. While StarLadder themselves haven’t shown any special rules/gameplay elements for the showmatch yet, fans can expect the players themselves to bring out all sorts of goofy weapons.

• Showmatch – Team VACO vs Team GOAT – 16:00 CET
• Grand Finals – Vitality vs FaZe Clan – 18:00 CET

Tune in to the official stream on YouTube, Twitch or Kick, to watch the showmatch live before we head into the season-defining Grand Finals of the fourth Counter-Strike 2 Major.