The safest bets during CS2 Budapest Major: Favorites for each stage

by

The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 features consistently strong teams throughout the tournament. These teams are generally good choices when considering esports bets for this event.

The Counter-Strike 2 Major in Budapest is a great chance to try out sports betting. Placing bets can make watching the matches and following the tournament even more thrilling.

Predicting esports matches with complete accuracy is impossible. So many factors influence the outcome that even the most thorough analysis can’t ensure a win.

You can definitely get a sense of which teams are likely to succeed in both the Swiss Stages and Playoffs by looking at their current performance. We hope our guide to the top contenders helps you make smart bets on the Budapest Major 2025.

Stage 1: The underdogs’ realm

The tournament is divided into three Swiss Stages. New teams will enter with each stage, all competing to reach the Playoffs and ultimately win the championship.

You can find a complete list of teams competing in the StarLadder Budapest Major in a separate article. The teams with the lowest rankings will begin their journey in Stage 1. While often seen as the underdogs, you can bet on match outcomes and predict which teams will move on to Stage 2. CS2 esports betting offers a variety of options beyond simply picking the overall tournament winner.

Let’s take a look at the teams in Stage 1 who seem likely to succeed against most opponents. The following predictions for the Budapest Major are based on how well these teams have performed in recent tournaments.

  • Legacy: They won CS Asia Championships 2025 and finished 2nd at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025.
  • FaZe: It’s a low Major start for FaZe Clan, but the team has had some time to train with the new player, Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski. Right before this roster change, FaZe were 4th at ESL Pro League Season 22.

  • GamerLegion: The team was 4th at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025.
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas were 2nd at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025.
  • B8 is a pretty strong team, which surprised the community with some results. B8 performed well at the Austin Major. They were in the top 8 of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025: defeated Legacy, 3DMAX, and Astralis in the Swiss Stage.

Legacy and FaZe Clan seem to be the strongest contenders to advance further in the tournament. While other teams from the first stage are competitive, they mostly perform well against similar opponents. Unexpected results could still happen, but it’s a risky gamble to bet on them at the CS2 Budapest Major.

Stage 2: Mid-tier with the Playoffs potential

Generally, the eight teams entering the tournament in Stage 2 are expected to be stronger than those who competed in Stage 1. This has been the trend in past Major tournaments, so it’s a good factor to consider when making esports bets or predicting outcomes for the Budapest Major’s Pick’Ems.

  • NAVI: The Major winners have been struggling with their results recently. NAVI can win lower-tier events, such as StarSeries Fall 2025, but their inconsistency is just ridiculous at bigger tournaments. The reverse sweep from FURIA in the grand final of the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 feels like a fatal blow to Natus Vincere.
  • Aurora won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, after defeating Legacy in the grand final.
  • 3DMAX: These players have decent results at mid-tier Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. 3DMAX were 2nd at CS Asia Championships 2025.

  • Astralis: The rollercoaster of tournament results has been taking Astralis high recently. The team was in the top 6 at IEM Chengdu 2025. They are still very inconsistent, so be careful with such bets.
  • Team Liquid has got Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski back to the active roster, which reminds us of a better period for this legendary esports organization. Team Liquid reached the top 3 at CS Asia Championships 2025.

Stage 3: Tournament favorites for CS2 Budapest Major esports betting

The highest level of Counter-Strike competition begins now! Like the previous stage, the teams new to Stage 2 will likely struggle against the world’s best CS2 teams – at least initially.

The teams expected to reach Stage 3 are also considered the most likely to succeed in the playoffs and ultimately win the StarLadder Budapest Major. However, early matches between legendary teams tend to be much more unpredictable.

  • FURIA won a few big tournaments in the second half of 2025, and the progress of this team is mind-blowing. The addition of Danil “molodoy” Golubenko to the roster pays off for FURIA. After winning IEM Chengdu 2025 and BLAST Rivals Fall 2025, FURIA are the biggest favorites of the Budapest Major and arguably the safest bet throughout the tournament.
  • Team Vitality can’t return to their historic win streak from the first half of 2025, but these players can strike differently at the Major. Vitality are the winners of EPL Season 22.

  • Falcons have been looking extremely strong at the recent events, especially at BLAST Rivals 2025 Hong Kong. Still, the team was smashed by the new power of FURIA.
  • MOUZ: It feels like these guys are the dark horses among the Budapest Major favorites. MOUZ are most likely to defeat opponents from the earlier stages, but they somewhat struggle against other top teams: for instance, they lost to Falcons at IEM Chengdu 2025.

Even if a Counter-Strike 2 esports bet looks promising, remember there’s always a chance you could lose. No bet is ever a sure thing, so it’s important to make smart, careful choices – especially when it comes to events like the Budapest Major 2025.

Read More

2025-11-22 18:11