StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Event Details

The upcoming StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, an esports event involving Counter-Strike 2, has a slated start date of November 24th, and will run through December 14th. The initial three stages of the tournament are to be held at MTK Sportpark in Budapest, while the playoffs will take place at the MVM Dome, a modern esports arena with a seating capacity of 20,000. A prize pool of $1,250,000 is up for grabs, and the tournament will feature 32 teams. The teams have been directly invited based on Valve Regional Standings (VRS) due to the cancellation of MRQ.

Tournament Format and Schedule

The first stage of the tournament, featuring all 32 teams, will take place between November 24 and November 27. The following stage will be held from November 29 to December 2, and includes a Swiss format with 16 teams in best-of-one (Bo1) and best-of-three (Bo3) matches. In the third stage, which continues the Swiss format from December 4 to December 7, top teams will qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs are scheduled for December 11 to December 14 at the MVM Dome.

Pick’Em Challenge Overview

The Pick’Em Challenge is an opportunity to predict match outcomes for each major stage, generating points and cosmetic rewards for the participants. To be part of this challenge, you will need to purchase a Budapest 2025 Viewer Pass available in-game. This pass, costing either $9.99 or $19.99 with 3 Souvenir Tokens, provides access to championship coins and challenges. As challengers complete more challenges, their coins get upgraded to Silver (for 4 challenges), Gold (for 8 challenges), or Diamond (for completing all 11 challenges).

For stage predictions, players must predict two teams to go 3-0, six to qualify (3-1 or 3-2), and two to go 0-3 for each stage. For the playoffs, players predict the winners of each playoff round and the champion. Souvenir Tokens, earned through successful challenge completions, can be used to redeem exclusive Budapest 2025 souvenir packages. Note that the first rounds feature best-of-one (Bo1) matches which may bring in a degree of unpredictability to the predictions. Participants can join the Pick’Em Challenge from November 10 until the conclusion of the Major.

Additional Information

Collectable Team and Player Stickers are available with the Viewer Pass, adding a bit of extra appeal for users. These souvenir stickers feature top teams like Natus Vincere, Liquid, MIBR, and Passion UA. Worth noting is the direct qualification of teams through regional rankings, as the usual Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) were cancelled for this specific event. Economically, the Major is also expected to bring advantageous impacts to Budapest, generating over €20 million while simultaneously boosting tourism and providing temporary employment opportunities.

Media and Online Resources

The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 event will be broadcast live on a variety of platforms including Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. Online resources such as community guides, video breakdowns, and strategy overviews for the Pick’Em Challenge can be accessed over YouTube and various esports websites. For those looking to stay updated with every detail, tournament details and live updates can be tracked on esports aggregators like Strafe.