The CS2 Major start filled the community with very polarized emotions. Some underdogs are on the rise, skyrocketing to the next stage. The favorites struggle significantly to the point of being eliminated.
Eight teams survived the hard period of Stage 1 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. Beyond the disappointing technical issues of the first days, this tournament phase revealed big problems within some teams and even regions.
On the other hand, these Swiss System rounds were also filled with pure joy. It feels especially great when players make their big breakthroughs and open new horizons.
Here, we are looking back at the CS2 Budapest Major Stage 1: with a quick recap of the best moments and highlights of what they mean for the teams.
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FlyQuest to break the curse
Back in the first half of 2025, CS2 FlyQuest showed some promising signs of life. Sadly, the players got an almost fatal blow at the Austin Major. They went 2:0 in that Stage 1 but then lost three matches to get eliminated.
In a way, FlyQuest disappeared after that: we couldn’t really see them at big tournaments. The Budapest Major can break this curse, as Stage 1 turned out to be brilliant for FlyQuest.
- After winning two best-of-one (Bo1) matches, over Legacy and Imperial, FlyQuest kept the momentum. They destroyed Fluxo, delivering the biggest score gap so far in the Major, a 13:1 on Overpass. It was a perfect run for the team!
M80 power up Counter-Strike in North America
With the glorious period of Team Liquid being generally over, the Counter-Strike community doesn't take North American teams too seriously. M80 proved us all wrong, at least in the Major's Stage 1.
- Most of the Stage 1 run wasn't easy for M80. They survived the comeback attempt of B8 in the opening match, and that looked like the biggest threat to their 3:0 advancement plans. On the final map, M80 smashed NRG with a 13:2. The opponents played with their coach in the roster, but the result matters the most.
Ancient organizations and fresh blood
Europe traditionally has a big presence in CS2 esports, and the Budapest Major 2025 is no exception. Two teams with a great legacy made it back to the top scene.
- Ninjas in Pyjamas refreshed their roster and their approaches to the game. Such steps paid off nicely. NiP still lost the Round 1 match to NRG, but the team recovered with three wins, including one over FaZe.
- With younger players on his side, Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson performs miracles for CS2 Fnatic. The team advanced to Stage 2 with a 3:1 win/lose score. It was a back-and-forth for Fnatic in Stage 1 of the Budapest Major: a tough win over obscure underdogs from RED Canids, a loss to Flexo, and a dominant victory against Imperial.
B8 also finished Stage 1 with a 3:1 score, and this fresh team kept surprising with their performance. It's their second Stage 2 presence, and it's interesting to see if B8 can do better in Budapest than it was for them in Austin.
- Among Stage 1 wins for B8 is an advancement match over one of the favorites, Legacy.
Heart attack for FaZe fans
Arguably, the biggest story of Stage 1 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is the disastrous play of FaZe Clan.
It's not a mystic prophecy to assume that many people put FaZe to a 3:0 section for the Pick'Ems. Well, Finn "karrigan" Andersen decided differently. Why not play with the hearts of the fans and fall to the verge of elimination?
- FaZe looked like a pale version of themselves in most matches. Only at some crucial moments could we witness their true magic. In CS2 Budapest Major Stage 1, FaZe lost to NRG and Fnatic. Their wins were strictly against smaller opponents, and even those weren’t easy matches for FaZe Clan.
The disaster of Brazil
With FURIA winning big CS2 esports events in the second half of 2025, we kind of expect other Brazilian organizations to be really good at the game. Legacy players, who won CS Asia Championships 2025 and were second at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, support this impression.
It did not go well for the region, though. Three teams were present in Stage 1, and all of them were eliminated.
- RED Canids and Fluxo are smaller teams. Considering their in-game performance, they did well on the Major. Both lost to FaZe in elimination matches, but both were really close to winning.
- Legacy brought a true disaster. They won only against Rare Atom and RED Canids, which is not impressive for a team of this caliber. Then, Legacy got eliminated.
Big struggles of Asian Counter-Strike
The MongolZ and their success have become a big boost for this region in 2025. Still, it did not help other Asian CS2 teams at this Major.
- The Huns Esports performed better than expected, as they won over Lynn Visions. It’s their only victory, though.
- Lynn Vision Gaming had good tournament results before the Major, but they were eliminated with a 0:3. The same goes for Rare Atom.
TYLOO joins the StarLadder Major 2025 in Budapest with Stage 2. They and The MongolZ still can make a difference for the region.
For everyone qualified for Stage 2, the Budapest Major becomes only more challenging. This certainly includes FaZe, who must find their game to hope for bigger wins. It would be great to see other Stage 1 teams doing well and hitting at least Stage 3.
