As far as eSports go there aren’t too many more popular games than Counter-Strike. One of the things that aided in expanding its popularity outside of the gaming world is the fact that it’s easy to wager on it. The majority of tournaments are covered by the bookmakers, and when it comes to the big tournaments such as StarLadder Budapest Major, the betting markets are out of this world. With the upcoming Budapest tourney ahead of us, it’s a good moment to focus a bit on what’s ahead, teams participating, and the odds on the table.
Counter-Strike 2 StarLadder Budapest Major Betting Intro
What made CS2 so easy to wager on is its tactical FSP background. When you have two teams battling on a single battleground, wagering on it comes naturally. Two teams have 5 players each, with a set objective of either defending or attacking an objective. One could argue that CS2 betting is much like basketball wagering. It is also as fast paced as basketball, and thanks to its popularity we have more than enough tournaments widespread throughout the year. The biggest tournaments of them all are known as Valve Major Championships, or simply Majors. During the calendar year we have two Majors, and only the best of the best are allowed to participate. If you’re planning to wager on this year’s Major, here are some Starladder Major betting tips that could aid you in being successful.
The tournament we’re focused on here, StarLadder Budapest Major, is an upcoming competition scheduled to start in November, 2025. It will be a home to the best 32 CS2 teams, and it is the second Major of the season, after the one that was held in Austin, Texas, USA. The prize pool is nothing to scoff at, with the number being set at $1.25 million. The eventual winner is going to receive an amazing prize of $500,000. Budapest StarLadder has four stages of competition and the eventual winner is decided through a playoff stage where the best team is crowned as champions.
When & Where is The November Major?
The 2025 StarLadder Budapest Major is almost upon us. The tourney will start on November 24th, with the final stage being set for the 14th of December. The first three stages of the Major will be held at the MTK Sportpark in Budapest. The playoffs and the Grand Final will be moved to the MVM Dome.
History of the Valve Major Championships
Unlike many of the newest additions to the ever expanding world of eSports, Counter-Strike has a long history. It is a game that’s a quarter of a century old. It was released way back in 2000 by Valve. It didn’t take it long to become one of the most competitive eSports on the market. The first ever Counter-Strike tournament was held in 2001 and it was called the Cyberathlete Professional League Winter Championship. Today, this tourney is seen as the first ever major despite the fact Valve didn’t stand behind it as the parent company of CS.
As CS continued to grow with each passing year, valve decided to expand on its Counter-Strike catalogue. More than a decade since the first CS instalment, Valve went ahead and released its most popular title to date: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO). What followed was a major with a $250,000 prize pool, with CS: GO being at the centre of it, and we witnessed the first ever official Major. The first Major was hosted by DreamHack, and after a successful event, Valve partnered with the people behind it, and decided on the number 3 for the Majors during the season. This move was what created the biggest events on the eSports scene as far as Counter-Strike goes.
As years passed, CS: GO grew further, and Valve had no option than to increase the prize pool. In 2016 it reached the staggering number of $1 million. The bigger prize pool also led to downsizing, so for the last decade or so we’ve only had two Majors a season. Despite the lower number of overall tournaments, the prize pool continued to grow and in 2023 it reached $1.25 million with the BLAST Paris Major. A bit of trivia is that the Paris Major was the last that featured CS: GO as the format with the Copenhagen Major in 2024 revolved around Counter-Strike 2.
As far as Valve Major Championships go, the most successful team is Astralis which owns an amazing number of four titles to their name. Their biggest rival at the upcoming tournament is going to be Team Vitality, who have won two tournaments so far, with their latest win coming at the BLAST.tv Austin Major in 2025. According to the Starladder Major sportsbook Stake, Astralis is nowhere near their glory days with their odds of winning this tournament being set at 30.00, while the hot favorites are FURIA Esports with 2.70 odds, and Team Vitality with their odds set at 3.40.
StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Power Rankings
When it comes to CS2 Majors it is never easy to single out one team to win it all. Yet, this time around we need to go directly with FURIA. After all, they’re a team on the hottest streak, after winning three consecutive CS2 tournaments. In weeks and days leading up to the Budapest Major they’ve been singled out as the team to beat by every person close to this eSport. No one can argue that when it comes to CS2 that FURIA is the best team in the world at the moment. FalleN has been gaming out of his mind, and his teammates are behind him through good and the bad. In a game where the rifles settle the score, FURIA has all the firepower to confirm their form coming into this tourney. The bookmakers are on the same page as we are giving the FUTIA team most favourable odds set at 2.70.
The only thing taken against them is their form. Many pundits believe that they haven’t been paying attention to this tournament when they won their past three, and that we’ve already seen their peak this season. Yes, they still have the edge over Team Vitality and Team Falcons, but if they’ve reached their top form a few weeks ago, these teams could catch up in the meantime. FURIA was at the top of their game at the BLAST Rivals Hong Kong event, but if that was their best outing, there are holes in their games the team could exploit in coming weeks. Another factor working against them is the fact that it is hard to win so many consecutive tournaments. When you take into account that this team hasn’t been together for too long, they could slip any moment now.
Those close to both the team and the eSport of Counter-Strike claim that it all depends on their key player such as molodoy. If he’s at his best at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 they have little to fear. He’s seen as a prodigy in the sport, performing at the highest level at times, with an occasional slump here and there. If the pressure gets too high for him the entire FURIA team might suffer as a result. Yet, if he keeps proving the world what he’s made off, we’re team FURIA all the way as far as Budapest Major goes.
Next to FURIA, we have Falcons aiming for the top prizes in recent years. This team is led by one of the game’s greatest players ever. The team captain, NiKo is regarded as one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time. It is hard to believe that even after 16 attempts, NiKo has failed to get his hands on the highest CS prize available. Falcons are a team that’s not afraid to be in transition. After their performance at the Austin Majors, the veteran Magisk was replaced by kyousuke, and the team is coming to Budapest with a rejuvenated energy.
Adding a new player would put quite a few teams off, but that’s not the case with Team Falcons,, they have a star studded lineup, and enough experience to help a newcomer gel as quickly as possible. Due to this, they are still one of the hot favorites to win in Budapest, but only their team manages to click quickly, and elevate their form compared to some of the past few tourneys. Many people are arguing that Falcons shouldn’t be the favorites here considering that their current lineup has failed to pay their hands on a single trophy. Yet, the quality is undeniably there.
Of course, and as we’re used to, it will all come down to how much effort NiKo puts into his performances, and how well he will lead the rest of the team. When things go well, he is shadowed by m0NESY who also elevates his game, but when the two aren’t clicking, Falcons fail to perform at the highest level. Falcons will need both of them at the highest level, NiKo free of the pressure to deliver at the biggest stage, and the newcomer kyousuke caught up to speed, and only then it’s all possible.
Team Vitality comes third on this list, as they haven’t been themselves since winning the last major. Vitality was at the top of their game at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. When everyone expected them to continue in the same vein during the rest of the season, their form dipped. In the coming tournament they reached the Grand Finals but lost in both to the hot Budapest favorites, FURIA. What shouldn’t be neglected is the fact that despite the most recent setbacks, Team Vitality is the most successful CS2 team of the year 2025. Even as such, their two recent Bets of 5 defeats on Grand Finals tell a losing story ahead of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 that is played in the same format. Both fans and pundits are predicting and are hoping for a rematch between FURIA and Vitality, in what’s seen as an easy win for the former, at least according to the bookmakers.
As far as the underdogs for the 2025 StarLadder Budapest Major go we need to include Astralis into the story. The tournament ahead comes with high stake, and when you pair that with the best of ones duels anything can happen. Right now, Astralis is far removed from their glory days, and their odds set at 30.00 tell that story perfectly. Yet, as a four time winner they shouldn’t be written off that easily. Their most recent performances have been subpar, but no one should ever underestimate Astralis at a Major. Not only they’ve been failing to win a Major in recent years, they’ve also failed to qualify for the last five outings. This was seen as embarrassing by their fans and the general eSports public. Astralis has a point to prove in Budapest after coming to the biggest stage after five years of drought. If we’re being honest, their odds aren’t the best and that’s for a reason. Their team is not built for winning the Majors at this point, but with a good run they could spoil other teams plans, and make a good foundation for future endeavours. One thing is sure, they will not go out without a fight, and there will be a boom at the tourney with Astralis in the centre of it.
Format and Schedule
The 2025 StarLadder Budapest Major will commence on 24th of November and the first stage will last until November 27th. 16 teams will be divided into a Swiss System group stage format. The first matches are all Best of 1, but for teams who advance the format will shift to best of 3 in the elimination stages. 8 teams will go further and 8 will be permanently eliminated.
Stage 2 will be played out from November 29th until December 2nd. The duels will also be Bo1, while progression matches and elimination stages will be Bo3. Stage 2 will be duels between 8 teams from Stage 1 and Stage 2 Invites. Again, the best 8 will reach stage 3.
From December 4th until December 7th, Stage 3 will be on programme. The format remains the same as in the previous stages. The eight teams that have come all the way from Stages 1 & 2 will face the Stage 3 invites. As we’re used to, the best 8 from this stage will reach the playoffs.
When playoffs come, the matches will all be Bo3, and will be played from 11th of December until 14th. The two teams that survive will play in the best of 5 Grand Final. With everything said, you’d better get ready for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
