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StarLadder Budapest Major Coverage Hub

$1,170,000
Prize pool
32
Teams
24th Nov - Dec 14th
Date
Budapest, Hungary
Location
StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 1
24th Nov - 27th Nov
StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 2
29th Nov - 2nd Dec
StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 3
4th Dec - 7th Dec
StarLadder Budapest Major
11th Dec - 14th Dec
Tickets available

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 matches

Stage selector
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Day selector
24th Nov
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StarLadder releases Budapest Major Stage 1 opening matchups
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StarLadder Budapest Major to feature best-of-five final
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StarLadder reveals Budapest Major talent
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CYPHER: "Confirmed not playing the Major"
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Valve release Major-deciding ranking update
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The final days of the race to StarLadder Budapest Major as they happened
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Major invites set as VRS deadline looms
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Regional distribution for Budapest Major Stage 1 to match Austin
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Valve announces regional invite distribution for Budapest Major

MVM Dome

StarLadder Major Budapest's playoffs will be hosted by the Hungarian capital city's largest indoor arena and one of the largest in Europe, the MVM Dome.

The tournament organizer's sneak peek at the 360-degree center stage promises that most of the arena's 20,000 seats will be full of roaring fans for the final weekend of the three-week competition.

20.000
Capacity
Budapest
Location
English
Commentary in arena
More about the venue & city
Image from the venue

Did you know?

coldzera and device are the only two players to win two Major MVPs.

Counter-Strike Major winners through the years

Image from DreamHack Winter 2013
fnatic
DreamHack Winter 2013

The inaugural Major in CS:GO was secured by fnatic in surprise fashion as they defeated heavy favorites, the famous 87-0 NIP, 2-1 in the final. Star AWPer JW led the way for his team.

Go to event page
Image from EMS One Katowice 2014
Virtus.pro
EMS One Katowice 2014

Virtus.Pro stormed so convincingly to victory on home soil that this Major performance earned them the nickname "Virtus.Plow", with NIP taking yet another silver medal.

Go to event page
Image from ESL One Cologne 2014
NIP
ESL One Cologne 2014

Finally NIP won the Major their dominance of early CS:GO history so richly deserved, with their entry fragger Friberg picking up the MVP nod for his impact throughout the tournament.

Go to event page
Image from DreamHack Winter 2014
LDLC
DreamHack Winter 2014

LDLC grabbed a Major victory that was overshadowed by the infamous 'olofboost' incident that occurred in their quarterfinal with fnatic; such was the backlash from the incident that instead of accepting the proposed replay, fnatic forfeited the game.

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Image from ESL One Katowice 2015
fnatic
ESL One Katowice 2015

A replay of the first Major final saw fnatic again emerge triumphant in the all-Swedish derby, earning the organization its second Major trophy. This would mark NIP's fifth and last appearance in a Major final.

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Image from ESL One Cologne 2015
fnatic
ESL One Cologne 2015

fnatic emerged victorious in a battle with French titans Envy, marking history by being the first team in CS:GO to win back-to-back Majors. The crowning achievement of what would come to be known as the 'fnatic era'.

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Image from DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015
Envy
DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015

Frenchmen Envy took the title in Romania, with the same core of players that won DreamHack Winter 2014, beating a NAVI side who were appearing in their first Major final.

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Image from MLG Columbus 2016
Luminosity
MLG Columbus 2016

The Columbus Major was the first to feature a $1M dollar prize pool, the first to take place outside of Europe, and the first to be won by a non-European team; the Brazilians of LG would bring the Major trophy home to South-America.

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Image from ESL One Cologne 2016
SK
ESL One Cologne 2016

The Brazilian squad that won Columbus picked up their second Major in Cologne, this time under the SK banner. coldzera was again the standout for his team, earning his second Major MVP.

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Image from ELEAGUE Major 2017
Astralis
ELEAGUE Major 2017

The Danes of Astralis secured their first Major title in Atlanta, besting the very same Virtus.Pro who won the Katowice Major in 2014 after a memorable comeback on Train.

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Image from PGL Major Krakow 2017
Gambit
PGL Major Krakow 2017

Krakow bore witness to the greatest underdog run in CS:GO Major history, as world number 15 Gambit secured the Major title under the leadership of NAVI legend Zeus.

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Image from ELEAGUE Major 2018
Cloud9
ELEAGUE Major 2018

Cloud9 won North America's first Major in dramatic fashion, coming back from a 11-15 deficit on the final map to beat FaZe in overtime in front of a packed and raucous home crowd.

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Image from FACEIT Major 2018
Astralis
FACEIT Major 2018

Astralis picked up their second Major title in London after a dominant run in the bracket stage. The Danes had a flawless 6-0 map score in playoffs and beat NAVI in the final to lift the trophy.

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Image from IEM Katowice 2019
Astralis
IEM Katowice 2019

Astralis became only the second team to win three majors and two back-to-back with victory in Katowice, ending the fairy-tale run of underdog Finns ENCE to do so.

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Image from StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
Astralis
StarLadder Berlin Major 2019

History was made at this Major as Astralis became the only team to win four Majors and three back-to-back, once again beating surprise finalists to seal it, this time in the form of the CIS squad AVANGAR.

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Image from PGL Major Stockholm 2021
Natus Vincere
PGL Major Stockholm 2021

After three second-place finishes, NAVI finally secured a Major title on the wings of an incredible MVP performance from s1mple. The CIS team made history as the first one to win a Major without dropping a single map.

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Image from PGL Major Antwerp 2022
FaZe
PGL Major Antwerp 2022

In the packed-to-the-brim Antwerps Sportpaleis in Belgium, karrigan finally lifted his first Major trophy with FaZe. The squad also made history as the first international team to win the Valve-sponsored event.

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Image from IEM Rio Major 2022
Outsiders
IEM Rio Major 2022

In a sold-out Major full of upsets, it was Outsiders who stood tall in Brazil to take home the gold medal. The Russian squad were far from the favourites but showcased clinical displays in the server en route to a historical first-place finish.

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Image from BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
Vitality
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023

In a Major full of twists, turns, and shocking upsets, Vitality brushed aside all challengers and won the final CS:GO Major, on the organization’s home turf no less. The victory cemented the legacies of players like dupreeh and apEX, whilst also strengthening the case for ZywOo as one of the game’s greatest-ever stars.

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Image from PGL Major Copenhagen 2024
Natus Vincere
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024

Far from the favorites for the title, NAVI completed an epic dark horse run to claim the first CS2 Major trophy at PGL Major Copenhagen, joining an exclusive club of a select few organizations who have won multiple Majors.

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Image from Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024
Spirit
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

Flying high on the wings of explosive young starlet donk, Spirit claimed the organization's first major title at Perfect World Shanghai Major. It was a record-breaking run for 17-year-old donk, as he became not only the youngest Major MVP in history, but also the highest-rated, adding early impetus to his case for becoming one of Counter-Strike's greatest players.

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Image from BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
Vitality
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025

Looking for the perfect finish to their immaculate season that included six LAN victories, an ESL Grand Slam, and a mind-boggling 30-match win streak, Vitality made good on their status as favorites for the BLAST.tv Austin Major to secure the organization's second Major trophy

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The Major goes back to Europe

With the last two Majors taking place in the United States and China, the StarLadder Budapest Major will have Counter-Strike's biggest event return to Europe for the first time since the BLAST.tv Paris Major in May 2024.


Europe has consistently been home to most of the world's top Counter-Strike teams, and that holds true even in 2025. Budapest will offer a central location for fans all over the continent to come and appreciate the finest that Counter-Strike has to offer.

Placement Prize
1st $500,000
2nd $170,000
3rd-4th $80,000
5th-8th $45,000
9th-11th $20,000
12th-14th $20,000
15th-16th $20,000
Start date Dec 4th
End date Dec 14th
Teams 16
Prize pool $1,170,000

Counter-Strike Major winners overview

Event Date Prize pool Location 2nd Winner
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
Jun 12 - Jun 22 2025 $1,250,000 United StatesAustin, TX, US
The MongolZ
Vitality
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024
Dec 05 - Dec 15 2024 $1,250,000 ChinaShanghai, China
FaZe
Spirit
PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
Mar 21 - Mar 31 2024 $1,250,000 DenmarkCopenhagen, Denmark
FaZe
Natus Vincere
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
May 13 - May 21 2023 $1,250,000 FranceParis, France
GamerLegion
Vitality
IEM Rio Major 2022
Nov 05 - Nov 13 2022 $1,250,000 BrazilRio de Janeiro, Brazil
HEROIC
Outsiders
PGL Major Antwerp 2022
May 14 - May 22 2022 $1,000,000 BelgiumAntwerp, Belgium
Natus Vincere
FaZe
PGL Major Stockholm 2021
Oct 30 - Nov 07 2021 $2,000,000 SwedenStockholm, Sweden
G2
Natus Vincere
StarLadder Major Berlin 2019
Aug 28 - Sep 08 2019 $1,000,000 GermanyBerlin, Germany
AVANGAR
Astralis
IEM Katowice 2019
Feb 20 - Mar 03 2019 $1,000,000 PolandKatowice, Poland
ENCE
Astralis
FACEIT Major 2018
Sep 12 - Sep 23 2018 $1,000,000 United KingdomLondon, United Kingdom
Natus Vincere
Astralis
ELEAGUE Major 2018
Jan 19 - Jan 28 2018 $1,000,000 United StatesAtlanta & Boston, United States
FaZe
Cloud9
PGL Major Krakow 2017
Jul 16 - Jul 23 2017 $1,000,000 PolandKrakow, Poland
Immortals
Gambit
ELEAGUE Major 2017
Jan 22 - Jan 29 2017 $1,000,000 United StatesAtlanta, Georgia, USA
Virtus.pro
Astralis
ESL One Cologne 2016
Jul 05 - Jul 10 2016 $1,000,000 GermanyCologne, Germany
Liquid
SK
MLG Columbus 2016
Mar 29 - Apr 03 2016 $1,000,000 United StatesColumbus, Ohio, USA
Natus Vincere
Luminosity
DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015
Oct 28 - Nov 01 2015 $250,000 RomaniaCluj-Napoca, Romania
Natus Vincere
Envy
ESL One Cologne 2015
Aug 20 - Aug 23 2015 $250,000 GermanyCologne, Germany
Envy
fnatic
ESL One Katowice 2015
Mar 12 - Mar 15 2015 $250,000 PolandKatowice, Poland
Ninjas in Pyjamas
fnatic
DreamHack Winter 2014
Nov 27 - Nov 29 2014 $250,000 SwedenJönköping, Sweden
Ninjas in Pyjamas
LDLC
ESL One Cologne 2014
Aug 14 - Aug 17 2014 $250,000 GermanyCologne, Germany
fnatic
Ninjas in Pyjamas
EMS One Katowice 2014
Mar 13 - Mar 16 2014 $250,000 PolandKatowice, Poland
Ninjas in Pyjamas
Virtus.pro
DreamHack Winter 2013
Nov 28 - Nov 30 2013 $250,000 SwedenJönköping, Sweden
Ninjas in Pyjamas
fnatic

History of Counter-Strike Majors

Counter-Strike Majors are the biggest Counter-Strike event on the calendar. They have been hosted since 2013 by various tournament organizers, and backed by game developer Valve.

DreamHack Winter 2013, the first Major since the release of Global Offensive, was won by fnatic who upset favorites NIP in the grand final. The, at the time, staggering $250,000 prize pool was supported by the community through the purchase of keys for the esports skin case, while those that watched Major matches live were rewarded by drops such as the prized Cobblestone Souvenir Package.

In the early years, three Majors were held during a year, with each of them being played out within less than a week. From 2016 onwards, only two Majors are hosted each year, but the prize pool was increased to $1,250,000 and the events were continually expanded to accommodate for more extensive formats.

Longer events and big arenas

MLG Columbus was the first Major to be held outside of Europe and the first one won by a non-European team, Luminosity Gaming, while Cloud9 secure North America their first and only Major trophy at ELEAGUE Boston in 2018. Teams such as Virtus.pro, LDLC, and Gambit won Majors over the years, but fnatic with three victories and Astralis with four stand out as the most successful Major teams of all times.

Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
Image from an earlier CS:GO Major
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