StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: PARIVISION progress, Aurora eliminated in Stage 2

PARIVISION, Imperial, and B8 became the latest teams to qualify for Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, all three qualifying in 3:1 fashion. Not perfect, but names in the hat for the next round regardless. We’ve got the lowdown on all the action as three more teams confirmed their Stage 3 berths, while three more were sent packing down in the 1:2 bracket.

PARIVISION and Imperial reach Stage 3 in style

The most significant 2:1 bracket clash of the day came between PARIVISION and Ninjas in Pyjamas. Both teams had to play their way through Stage 1 to reach this point of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, leaving them fully warmed up at this stage of the competition.

Map one of Dust2 required double overtime to separate PARIVISION and NIP, with multiple rounds in which the Ninjas should have gotten Jame and his team of rookies out of the server. But nerves prevailed, and they gave PARIVISION the time they needed to fully grow into the game. Eventually, PARIVISION settled it 19:16, and Ninjas in Pyjamas would need to convert their own map pick to stay alive in the series.

Train would also be decided by the thinnest of margins. Overtime, again, albeit just the one this time. And again, there’s no doubt that NIP could have had this one done and dusted earlier, only for those same mistakes to come back to haunt them. The overtime on Train was dominant for PARIVISION, ending 16:12. Not even close. That’s now Jame‘s inexperienced team reaching Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major, doing so without needing the final day of play. Impressive, indeed.

Imperial are another team that most didn’t have progressing beyond Stage 2 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. It did feel as though they’d hit their ceiling at this event, but they proved everyone wrong by edging out M80 in a close series in the 2:1 bracket.

This series was really defined by maps one and three. Both maps went the way of Imperial, both ending 13:11. Ignore the fact that M80 won map two 13:2, because it’s not the volume of rounds that matters – it’s the distribution. This was an absolutely banger series. Some crazy individual plays, highlighting the level on display at the Major. If you’re going to rewatch any game from today, make it this one – entertainment from start to finish.

Aurora suffer potentially roster-killing loss against Astralis

Oh dear, Aurora. That was really bad. Among the favorites to qualify out of StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2, the Turkish team have crashed out 1:3 after just one best-of-one victory. Apologies if they were your 0:3 choice in your Budapest Major Pick’Ems. In losing in this fashion, it feels as though this roster is dead in the water, and will be making at least one change as we head into 2026.

Aurora lost to Astralis to secure their fate. One of those map losses was on Train, with Astralis winning it for only the second time in three months. The second came on Mirage, where Astralis entered the clash with a 36.36% win rate over the last three months. It was truly dismal, all capped off with a 5v3 retake loss in which overtime felt guaranteed. In a year of underwhelming results, this one is comfortably among the worst. It’s some feat.

On the other side of the coin, Astralis live to fight another day. Their best results come when HooXi is fragging hard, and that’s not a win you can ever consistently rely on. They need more impact from dev1ce in particular, who is really struggling to leave his mark on his first Major since rejoining Astralis in 2022.

StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2 Bracket and Fixtures

With just one set of matches left to play, here’s how the bracket and fixtures look at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 2 so far:

3:0 (Qualified)

• FaZe Clan
• NAVI

3:1 (Qualified)

• PARIVISION
• Imperial
• B8

2:2

• Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. 3DMAX
• Astralis vs. Team Liquid
• Passion UA vs. Team Liquid

1:3 (Eliminated)

• Fnatic
• Aurora
• TYLOO

0:3 (Eliminated)

• FlyQuest
• MIBR