StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 details emerge

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The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, the fourth official Counter-Strike 2 Major, is scheduled to take place from November 24 to December 14 in Budapest, Hungary. The 23rd Counter-Strike Major overall will feature a total prize pool of $1,250,000 USD. This event marks StarLadder's second Major, following their 2019 Berlin tournament.

This premier esports competition will gather 32 of the world's top teams, generating significant excitement among fans. Many are actively making predictions on the tournament's eventual winner. As interest in esports grows, even those new to the game are becoming more involved by using the Kalshi referral code and analyzing data from various prediction markets. We will examine the tournament structure and the leading teams based on this market analysis.

Tournament format and structure

The Major will feature 32 teams, all receiving direct invitations, competing across multiple stages.

Stages of the event:

• First Stage: November 24-27; 

• Second Stage: November 29 — December 2; 

• Third Stage: December 4 — December 7.

The initial stages will be held at MTK Sportpark. All stages will use a Swiss system format with 16 teams each. The top 8 from the First Stage will advance to the Second Stage, which also includes other invited teams. The top 8 from the Second Stage will move to the Third Stage, along with eight directly invited teams. The eight teams that qualify for the playoffs will be the top eight teams to emerge from the third Swiss-system stage.

The final playoff stage is scheduled for December 11-14 at the MVM Dome, one of Europe's largest esports venues. This stage will be a single-elimination bracket.

A significant development for this tournament is the Grand Final, which will be a best-of-five series. This is a first for a CS2 Major, introducing a new level of endurance and strategic depth to the championship match.

Top contenders and market analysis

The field includes top organizations from all global regions. Team Vitality enters the event as the defending champions, having secured their victory at the Austin 2025 Major.

Other perennial contenders, such as FaZe Clan, Fnatic, and NAVI, are also expected to compete, making this one of the most-watched esports events of the year.

According to data from the Kalshi prediction market, the probabilities assigned to the top contenders are currently:

• Team Vitality: ~29%

• Team Spirit: ~10%

• FURIA: ~8%

• Team Liquid: ~5%

• Team Falcons: ~3%

This data indicates that Team Vitality is the clear favorite. Still, the significant gap between them and the next contender, Team Spirit, highlights Vitality's dominant position.

It seems that while Vitality leads expectations, the grueling multi-stage format allows ample opportunity for upsets. Teams must navigate the demanding Swiss stages before proving themselves in the high-pressure, single-elimination playoffs.