Breaking: StarLadder unveils Budapest Major

StarLadder announced this Monday, May 12th, that it will organize the second CS2 Major of 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

The Budapest Major will run from November 24th to December 12th, and will feature 32 Counter-Strike teams just like the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major in June.

All four stages of the Budapest Major will feature a live audience. The first three stages will be played from November 24th to December 7th at the MTK Sportpark, which has a capacity of up to 2,000 spectators.

Once the competition hits the playoffs, the tournament will move to MVM Dome, a 20,000-seater indoor arena inaugurated in 2021. The venue has a 360-degree stage setup, meaning all seats can be filled.

StarLadder is already selling tickets for the Budapest Major via the Ticketfairy platform. As of the moment of this article's writing, the prices range from €10 to €30 for the first three stages and from €80 to €370 for the playoffs.

StarLadder CEO on hosting the Major: "We're determined to make it unforgettable"

The Budapest Major will be the second Counter-Strike Major organized by StarLadder, as the tournament organizer hosted the Berlin CS:GO Major in 2019.

"Hosting another Major is an incredible honor, and we're determined to make it unforgettable," StarLadder CEO Roman Romantsov said in an official statement.

"Budapest gives us the perfect stage to push the boundaries of what a live CS2 event can look and feel like. From day one to the Grand Finals, we're building something that fans - both in the arena and watching around the world - will remember."

StarLadder hasn't been involved in Counter-Strike for the past five years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian tournament organizer was purchased by NODWIN Gaming in January and was meant to run a tournament in the first half of the year, but it got canceled.

These are the full dates of the Budapest Major:

• Stage 1 (MTK Sportpark) - November 24th-27th

• Stage 2 (MTK Sportpark) - November 29th to December 2nd

• Stage 3 (MTK Sportpark) - December 4th-7th

• Playoffs (MVM Dome) - December 11st-14th