Most Exciting Moments at the Counter-Strike Budapest Major 2025

The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is here, and the Group Stage has already blown by, eliminating 24 of the attending teams. The tournament has already attracted tens of millions of hours of watch time, and this will only rise as the playoffs soon begin. Esports Charts takes a look across the most popular moments of the CS2 Budapest Major Group Stage, highlighting top plays and clips.

This article was updated with new highlights on December 12.

Most exciting moments of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

PARIVISION vs Team Liquid — Parivision gifted the win

PARIVISION fought their way through Stage 1 of the CS2 Budapest Major 2025, qualifying for the second stage with a 3-2 record. The Serbian organization built a new team earlier this year, quickly building experience and putting in the time to develop a strong game. After losing their first game of Stage 2, PARIVISION were scheduled to play the American Team Liquid roster.

PARIVISION looked comfortable on Dust II against Team Liquid, quickly amassing a lead on T-side. On matchpoint, Team Liquid took control of the A site and planted, but their overaggression in the post-plant situation gave the opportunity for PARIVISION to swing things back around and claim the win.

Team Spirit vs FaZe — Donk’s AWP ace

Coming into Stage 3 of the Major, all eyes were on Team Spirit to see how they would fare at the Major. Some have claimed that the current system disadvantages the latter-stage teams, who come to the tournament cold compared to the competitors who battled through the opening stages, but Team Spirit hit the ground running.

After a convincing win over Team Liquid in their opening game, Spirit moved to face FaZe Clan in their second game of Stage 3. Spirit seemed a cut ahead of FaZe, outclassing them mechanically and shutting down all their T-side attacks. Nothing highlights Team Spirit’s adaptable stopping power better than their star rifler Danil "donk" Kryshkovets picking up the AWP to great success.

The MongolZ vs Team Liquid — Controlez holds the site with an ace

After winning the Esports World Cup 2025, The MongolZ has finally been rewarded on the international stage in 2025 for their efforts. The team suffered a string of podium and second-place finishes throughout 2025, and they will be looking to capitalize on their chances at the Major and maybe take home Mongolia’s first Major.

After losing their first game to Imperial Esports, The MongolZ came back strong for their second game against Team Liquid. Although The MongolZ looked much better than their opening game, they still needed some heroic clutches to close the game. Unudelger "controlez" Baasanjargal, the team’s stand-in anchored on A site, collected himself an ace defending the site to extend TheMongolZ early lead.

FaZe vs Fluxo — Karrigan’s 4K to save FaZe

FaZe Clan entered the CS2 Budapest Major 2025 as one of the strongest rosters in the field, bringing star power and deep playoff experience into the opening stage. However, not everything looked easy for the team in Stage 1, where they almost faced elimination twice.

In their final, make-or-break game against Brazilian team Fluxo, both teams won a map convincingly to bring us to Mirage. The final game stood at a crucial turning point when FaZe clan, faced with a 2v4 retake, seemed resigned to letting Fluxo take the round and bring the scoreline to 11-12. Stepping up when his team needed him most, FaZe’s in-game leader Finn "karrigan" Andersen charges through a smoke to secure two quick frags and make a retake possible.

MOUZ vs PARIVISION — Spinx Overtime ace

Top contenders MOUZ arrived at Stage 3 to play their opening game against PARIVISION, who had fought through Stage 1 and Stage 2 to make it here. While some fatigue may have set in for PARIVISION, they brought their best to MOUZ, who struggled to keep up with the initial pace.

While PARIVISION were able to secure some solid rounds in the first half, MOUZ were able to equalise the scores and go to overtime, where the team started settling in. Lotan "Spinx" Giladi stepped up at the 14-14 scoreline, securing a hugely influential ace that would set his team up for a 16-14 win.

There’s still plenty more action to come from the Budapest Major Playoffs stage. Esports Charts will keep an eye on the unfolding action of the playoffs, and update this article with the latest clips throughout.