The Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is set to conclude with a historic format change for its grand final, even as prominent Brazilian players failed to secure top individual rankings in the tournament’s second stage.
For the first time in the game’s history, the Major’s grand final, scheduled for December 14, will be played in a best-of-five (MD5) format. Previous major finals were decided in a best-of-three (MD3) series.
This shift comes as the second stage of the tournament concluded without any Brazilian professional players featuring among its top performers. This is despite three Brazilian organizations advancing to the third and final stage.
Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov of Natus Vincere (NaVi) led the rankings for Stage 2, according to data from the HLTV website. His teammate, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, secured the second spot. Emil “nota” Moskvitin from PARIVISION ranked third.
Brazilian teams FURIA, paiN Gaming, and Imperial will represent their nation in the tournament’s decisive stage.
The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, a premier Counter-Strike 2 event, resumed its third and final stage on Thursday, December 4. Fans can follow the matches via official StarLadder broadcasts on platforms like Kick, Twitch, and YouTube, alongside authorized co-streams.