The tournament organiser has announced that the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 event will feature a best-of-five Grand Final. This marks the first time the title’s most prestigious tournament will decide its champion over five maps rather than the traditional best-of-three.
Debates about changing the format of the Major final have been going on for several years. In recent years, BLAST, ESL, and Fissure have had BO5 finals at their tournaments, but Valve has ignored this. Now, starting with the next Major, the final matches will be played to three wins. In addition to announcing a revised Grand Final format, StarLadder also revealed a sneak peek at the stage layout that will feature at the MVM Dome during the playoffs between December 11th to 14th. The 20,000-seat arena will host a 360-degree stage setup, offering all fans in attendance a clear view of the action taking place.
The tournament itself runs from November 24 to December 14, featuring 32 teams and a $1.25 million prize pool. Early stages will be held at MTK SportPark before moving to the MVM Dome for the playoffs.
This event marks StarLadder’s first Major since 2019’s in Berlin. It was the final Major of the Astralis era before the pandemic. The organiser also has a strong track record in other esports, having hosted top-tier events in Dota 2, PUBG, FIFA, Hearthstone, StarCraft II, and PUBG Mobile.
With its bold new format and grand arena setup, the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 promises to deliver one of the most exciting Counter-Strike spectacles to date.
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