Spirit and FURIA reach StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Playoffs, Liquid sent packing
Daniel Morris
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At long last, we’re starting to see the first teams lock in their spots in the Playoffs of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. Down from 32 teams to what will soon be eight. And with Stage 3 well underway, we officially have our first two ready to play in Budapest’s MVM Dome when the Playoffs kick off in a few days’ time. There’s still plenty of action to go, but Stage 3 has delivered the goods so far.
Spirit progress past MOUZ while FURIA maul G2
Image via StarLadder
Spirit became the first team to secure the Playoffs at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, defeating MOUZ in a tight series ultimately decided by the slimmest of margins on an Overpass decider. It looked as though Spirit were actually going to come through this one comfortably, taking their opening pick of Mirage handily, 13:5 the scoreline. With chopper on fire and donk doing donk things, it looked like we were hurtling towards an inevitable conclusion.
But MOUZ then took on what felt like a punish pick in Train. Spirit, having only played the map twice in the last six months, looked out of sorts and uncomfortable throughout. They still put up a 10-round haul, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome a 9-round T-side from MOUZ in the first half. And so with MOUZ back alive in the server, we were all tied up.
It would all come down to Overpass, which Spirit last played (and lost) a month ago to the day against HEROIC at IEM Chengdu 2025. And it seemed like things were going to go the same way here, MOUZ roaring to an 8:4 lead at the half. MOUZ had the crowd on their side too, with Hungarian native torzsi being the hometown hero. But Overpass, CT-sided as it is, started to come up all Spirit once they found second-half momentum. There were clutches galore here, but it was Spirit who came out on the right side of it with a 13:11 win. Playoffs secured for donk and friends, and they needn’t spend the next few days worried with their spot locked in at the earliest opportunity.
Image via StarLadder
It’s hard to argue with the idea that FURIA are the best CS2 team in the world right now. Dominant in every facet of the game, and they’ve made short work of Stage 3 at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. They’ve completed their run to the Playoffs with a 2:0 win against G2, which looked like it could get hairy for only the briefest of moments.
Map one, Inferno, could have been an email. A monstrous KSCERATO performance put FURIA en route to a 13:6 victory, and the scoreline is probably a little kind to G2. It wasn’t really that close, and FURIA never really looked as though there was a world G2 could fight their way back into this one.
You already know that FURIA prevailed over G2 on Overpass, too, but for a minute it looked as though we could be going to a third map. While FURIA put together a comprehensive 9:3 T-side, their CT-side wasn’t quite as clean. G2 won five consecutive rounds to start the half, cutting FURIA’s lead to just one. But, as they so often have of late, FURIA found the answers to halt the T-side momentum of G2, with an eventual 13:10 victory. As favorites for the Major, going 3:0 in this kind of fashion can only be a massive boon to the confidence.
Passion UA knock out poor Liquid, 3DMAX send PARIVISION packing
Image via StarLadder
With tournament lives on the line in the 0:2 bracket, it was Passion UA who secured the win over Liquid, winning out what was a skirmish of North America. Given the quality of Counter-Strike on display, I’d stop short of describing it as a battle – there were some rough moments here, a series where momentum was king.
Liquid looked set to make the perfect start on Train. A 9:3 CT-side put them in a very strong situation against Passion UA, but a completely limp T-side enabled a comeback on the other side of the server. Despite those nine rounds, Passion UA had them beat with 10 of their own, taking map one 13:11. Each player was equally culpable for missing their shots in this one, and there could be no doubt that Liquid threw Train away.
But with Mirage up next, Liquid had an opportunity to make up for their misdeeds on Train. Unfortunately for them, Passion UA came out firing on all cylinders, once again picking up a 10:2 CT-side and putting themselves in the dominant position. And though Liquid started to make a comeback of their own, it proved to be cosmetic, with Passion UA finally finding the answers to keep their heads just above water at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. 1:2 in Stage 3, and elimination was staved off for another day yet. Liquid were not quite so lucky, bombing out in unfortunate fashion. Few had this team as their 0:3 Pick’Em, and even though this is clearly a roster in need of some desperate surgery, Liquid will be bitterly disappointed to have their Budapest journey ended like this.
Image via StarLadder
In today’s other lower bracket match, 3DMAX kept their dim StarLadder Budapest Major hopes alive by condemning Jame‘s young PARIVISION team to an 0:3 exit. Experience won the day in a match that saw the French 3DMAX team require a reverse-sweep across three maps to overcome the brave PARIVISION effort.
Map one was familiar territory for PARIVISION in a few ways, in that it featured both Dust2 and overtime. It’s a combo you don’t want to come up against vs. PARIVISION, so it came as little surprise when they were able to win out a 16:12 match. Score one for the young guns. But we know that 3DMAX have the experience to overcome adversity at this point, and them being in the 0:2 bracket was already somewhat surprising. They began to play out a fairly even Inferno, but 3DMAX began to run away with proceedings the moment they got onto the T-side. 13:8 was the final scoreline, and we were headed to a decider.
Despite also finishing 13:8 in favor of 3DMAX, it felt like the Ancient decider was actually a braver showing from PARIVISION. They spent a lot of the game chasing from behind, and the early lead that 3DMAX had established proved far too much to overcome in the end. PARIVISION may be gone from the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, but this was a Cinderella run I hope leads to more Tier 1 appearances in 2026.
StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 3 Bracket and fixtures (Day 2)
Daniel is a CS2 esports specialist, and now channels that expertise to discuss the game online. Despite his knowledge of Counter-Strike, he wasn’t quite good enough to go pro himself.
