The upcoming StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 will feature a historic Best-of-5 grand final, marking a significant format shift for the Counter-Strike 2 tournament.
This change will see the championship match contested over five games, a departure from the previous Best-of-3 format. It will be the first time in the tournament’s history such a long-form final has been implemented.
Tournament organizers announced the format alteration on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, via their official X (formerly Twitter) page.
The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is set to begin its initial stage on November 24 in Budapest, Hungary.
Initial matchups for Stage 1 were released on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Sixteen teams will compete in this opening phase.
Four Brazilian teams—Legacy, Imperial, Fluxo, and RED Canids—are among those playing in the first stage.
Other prominent Brazilian teams, MIBR, FURIA, and paiN Gaming, are scheduled to enter the competition in later stages.
The announced Stage 1 pairings include:
* Legacy vs FlyQuest
* RED Canids vs fnatic
* Fluxo vs GamerLegion
* Imperial vs Rare Atom
* FaZe vs Lynn Vision
* PARIVISION vs The Huns
* B8 vs M80
* Ninjas in Pyjamas vs NRG
😤 It’s time. The initial matchups of StarLadder Budapest Major: Stage 1 have arrived!16 teams will hit the stage on November 24 to set the tone.🔥 What’s the spiciest opener on this list for you? pic.twitter.com/VKvHj6VVgV
— StarLadder CS2 (@StarLadder_CS) November 5, 2025