Every team competing in StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 3

Image of Parivision Counter-Strike 2 player cheering while competing at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025

With several notable names falling in Stage 2, the 16 teams competing in Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 are now locked in.

The third stage introduces some of the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 teams, all of which will be aiming to overcome some stiff opposition from Stage 2 and secure a place in the Playoffs.

Ahead of the final Swiss Stage of the tournament, Esports Insider discusses the remaining teams that are competing for one of Counter-Strike’s biggest trophies.

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StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 3 Teams

Similar to Stage 2, the final stage of the Budpaest Major involves another five-round Swiss Stage format featuring best-of-one and best-of-three matches to determine places in the playoffs.

Eleven of the 16 teams hail from Europe, while the Americas will have four representatives looking to compete in the MVM Dome in Budapest. Following the elimination of TYLOO in Stage 2, Asia has one team hoping to make a deep run.

Teams that earn three wins across the five rounds advance to the playoffs, while those that record three losses are sent home.

FURIA

Heading into Stage 3 with significant momentum is FURIA. After topping December’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the move to an international roster has paid off for FURIA as it looks to cement its place as the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 team.

The signing of Danil ‘molodoy’ Golubenko as the team’s main AWPer has delivered plenty of high impact across several Tier 1 tournaments. Combined with the leadership of Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo and an in-form Kaike ‘KSCERATO’ Cerato, the team has become a force to be reckoned with.

FURIA begins its Stage 3 campaign against NAVI in a rematch of the Thunderpick World Championship final. The Ukrainian side managed to take two maps off FURIA, demonstrating its ability over a single map.

Team Vitality

For the majority of 2025, Team Vitality has dominated Counter-Strike esports, winning eight Tier 1 events throughout the year. Having placed no lower than eighth over the past eleven months, the French organisation is in a position to end the year on a high note.

Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut has cemented himself among the world’s best AWPers, with his lightning-fast reaction times often turning the tide of a round in favour of his team. Alongside a wealth of experienced riflers, Team Vitality has all the ingredients needed to lift its second Major of the year.

The French esports organisation kicks off Stage 3 against a FaZe Clan side more than capable of springing a surprise.

Team Falcons

After struggling to find consistency in the first half of the year, Team Falcons has established itself among the world’s elite squads with several top-four finishes since August. As a result of this upward tick in form, the Saudi Arabian organisation could find itself appearing in another playoff.

However, in a Major, the organisation hasn’t yielded much success. In Austin, the star-studded roster failed to make it out of Stage 2, losing to MIBR in the deciding best-of-three. Thanks to its improvement in performance, the team begins the Budapest Major in Stage 3, needing three wins to secure a place in the tournament’s next phase.

Team Falcons faces off against B8 in its first Stage 3 match. Having qualified from Stage 2 with a flawless 3-0 record, B8 knows what it takes to clip the wings of the Falcons, having beaten the team at the Austin Major.

The MongolZ

The MongolZ has spearheaded a new era of Asian Counter-Strike thanks to its success in 2025. Second-place at the Austin Major, followed by victory at the Esports World Cup, saw the Mongolian national team top October’s VRS.

After missing out on the ESL Pro League Season 22 playoffs, the team benched Azabayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold, a move that surprised many after the rifler frequently topped the leaderboards. Taking the place of Senzu in the Hungarian capital is Unudelger ‘Controlez’ Baasanjargal, an experienced rifler hoping for a strong showing.

Since the arrival of Controlez, The MongolZ has struggled to reach the heights achieved with Senzu in the lineup. An opening round clash against Imperial Esports will act as an early test for a team that once topped international Counter-Strike.

MOUZ

On several occasions, MOUZ has come agonisingly close to achieving notable victories across several high-profile events in 2025. After winning PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 in February, the German organisation has scored 13 top-four finishes, including four Grand Final appearances.

While it may not have lifted many trophies, MOUZ’s impressive levels of consistency frequently put the team in conversation as one of several rosters capable of ending the year with a Major title.

With the goal of besting its top-four finish in Austin, MOUZ takes on Parivision in its opening round match.

Team Spirit

Team Spirit joins the likes of Team Vitality and FURIA as multiple event winners in 2025. The Shanghai Major champion managed to carry its late 2024 form into this year, winning BLAST Bounty Season 1 and PGL Astana 2025 before scoring a top-eight finish at the Austin Major.

Widely regarded as the best entry fragger in the world, Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets continues to prove his worth, frequently bailing the team out with impossible clutches and firepower very few players can contend with.

Despite this, Team Spirit heads to the Hungarian capital following several missed opportunities to add to its trophy cabinet. Its opening match against Team Liquid acts as a solid test for a team always capable of competing at the top.

G2 Esports

Despite a year of roster changes, G2 Esports has shown signs that it can compete for victories. The multi-national roster took its only event win of 2025 at BLAST Open London, defeating Team Vitality in a thrilling best-of-five series.

Since then, two top-eight finishes at FISSURE Playground 2 and IEM Chengdu 2025 show that signs of breaking into the upper echelons of Counter-Strike are certainly there. G2 Esports begins Stage 3 against a Passion UA side looking to show North America can still compete alongside Europe and Asia.

paiN Gaming

PaiN Gaming caught the Counter-Strike world by surprise at the 2025 Austin Major, scoring an unexpected top-four finish to cement its place as one of South America’s top teams. While its success in Austin catapulted the team into the spotlight, the team has struggled throughout the second half of the year.

A string of disappointing performances at IEM Cologne 2025 and the CS Asia Championship 2025 saw paiN Gaming tumble down the global VRS, leaving many wondering if its Austin performance was a fluke.

In November, its form from earlier in the year had seemingly returned thanks to a top-four finish at BLAST Rivals Fall 2025, which featured wins over TYLOO and Passion UA. The Brazilian side faces an in-form 3DMAX in round one of Stage 3.

NAVI

NAVI was the strongest team from the Budapest Major’s Stage 2, earning qualification at the earliest possible moments with three wins and the lowest amount of rounds conceded.

The Ukrainian side dominated FlyQuest in round one before besting Imperial Esports to set up a third-round match against fellow Ukrainians, B8. A comfortable 2-0 sweep sealed the deal for NAVI, a team that has demonstrated its ability to contend against teams often seen at the top of the global standings.

NAVI takes on FURIA in round one of Stage 3. The two sides recently met at the Thunderpick World Championship, and although FURIA completed a reverse sweep, NAVI has the experience required to achieve success.

FaZe Clan

FaZe Clan remains an enigma at the Budapest Major, thanks to its unpredictability. On its day, the Red Militia is more than capable of competing among the world’s best, but any inconsistencies could prove disastrous for a team often surviving by narrow margins.

The team scraped through Stage 1 with hard-fought wins over RED Canids and Fluxo, while Stage 2 saw FaZe look like a completely different team on the server. Victories against Passion UA, Aurora Gaming, and Ninjas in Pyjamas cemented a 3-0 record, proving the FaZe Clan magic is still there.

FaZe Clan starts Stage 3 against the French powerhouse of Team Vitality. The two sides faced off against each other at ESL Pro League Season 22, with FaZe Clan opening the series with a double overtime win on Mirage. Team Vitality eventually won the series, but the firepower of FaZe Clan gave one of CS2’s best teams a run for its money.

B8

B8 is one of the last teams standing from Stage 1 of the Budapest Major. Stage 2 was another strong showing for the Ukrainians, scoring wins over Team Liquid, Fnatic, and 3DMAX to book its place in the third stage.

Making Stage 3 is an improvement from its Austin Major campaign, where it was eliminated in Stage 2 following defeats to FURIA and Lynn Vision Gaming. While the attention is on Counter-Strike’s big names, B8 could fly under the radar as an underdog side armed with the firepower required to spring a surprise.

B8’s first match is against Team Falcons, a formidable roster that is peaking at the right time. Even with a star-studded roster on the other side of the server, B8 has already proven it can beat strong opposition in a best-of-one.

Imperial Esports

South America’s deep pool of talent continues to make an impact at the Budapest Major, with Imperial Esports navigating its way through the first two stages to secure a place in the top 16.

The Brazilians beat MIBR, Fnatic, and M80 en route to Stage 3, marking a significant improvement from its Austin Major campaign, where it bowed out of Stage 1 with a 1-3 record.

Stage 3 begins with a clash against The MongolZ, a team competing with a temporary stand-in. The unpredictable nature of a best-of-one could play in favour of Imperial Esports as it looks to end the year on a high.

Parivision

After winning ESL Challenger League before heading to Budapest, Parivision has hit form when it matters most as the team looks to lay the foundations for a strong end to 2025 ahead of its 2026 campaign.

The team, led by Dzhami ‘Jame’ Ali, scored notable wins over GamerLegion and Legacy in Stage 1. The organisation then continued this momentum with Stage 2 wins over Team Liquid, Aurora Gaming, and Ninjas in Pyjamas to book its place in the final stage.

With four of the five Parivision players making their Major debut, a best-of-one against MOUZ could prove to be an exciting contest.

Team Liquid

Team Liquid’s turbulent year almost continued with an early elimination in Stage 2. After defeats to B8 and Parivision, the team was on the back foot. As a result, three best-of-three wins were required to stay alive.

Victories over MIBR and TYLOO secured a place in round five, with the team needing to beat Astralis in another best-of-three to advance. Team Liquid looked the superior side from the outset, sweeping aside the Danes to earn a place in Stage 3.

Team Liquid’s opening match against Team Spirit is a tricky hurdle to overcome, but one that’s not impossible if the team can fire on all cylinders.

Passion UA

Passion UA became North America’s sole representative in Stage 3 after making an impressive run through all five rounds of Stage 2. An opening defeat to FaZe Clan was quickly followed by a 13-10 win over MIBR to remain in contention.

Defeat to 3DMAX halted any momentum generated from the MIBR result. Despite this, the former Complexity core still had an opportunity to advance. A 2-0 sweep over Fnatic, followed by a 2-1 victory against the fellow North Americans of M80, was enough to earn a place in the last stage before the playoffs.

G2 Esports awaits Passion UA in its first best-of-one of Stage 3. A hot start for the team could act as a catalyst for some surprise results against the big names.

3DMAX

The final team competing in Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major is the all-French roster of 3DMAX. Throughout the year, the team has shown glimmers of its true potential, with impressive showings at ESL Pro League Season 22 and a second-place finish at the CS Asia Championship 2025.

An opening loss to Fnatic in Stage 2 wasn’t enough to determine 3DMAX, going on to sweep aside FlyQuest and Passion UA to put itself on the verge of qualification. A close 2-1 defeat to B8 put a halt to advancing, with Ninjas in Pyjamas standing in its way.

A strong defensive display on Ancient and Train proved the difference against the Ninjas, securing a 2-0 sweep and an opportunity to continue the French resurgence in the Hungarian capital. A round-one match against paiN Gaming awaits a team armed with a wealth of firepower and experience to give anyone a run for their money.

When Does StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 3 Begin?

Stage 3 of the Budapest Major begins on December 4th at 12 PM GMT. A total of 16 best-of-ones will take place, with teams looking to end the day with two wins to their name.

Fans can tune into the action across the tournament organiser’s Twitch, YouTube, and Kick channels.

Source: https://esportsinsider.com/