The Major favorites in the opening matchups of Stage 3: Treat for the fans

The initial matchups at this CS2 Major are looking interesting. Some top contenders drew relatively easy opponents, while others will face tough challenges right away. Either way, fans are in for exciting opening matches.

As a Counter-Strike Major progresses, the final Swiss System matches truly showcase the tournament’s intensity. The world’s top teams battle it out, aiming for victory and the championship trophy.

The first round of matches has created some exciting pairings. Top contenders FURIA and Team Vitality will be tested by strong opponents, giving us a good look at how they’re playing. We’ll also be focusing on the matches between MOUZ and Falcons, who are expected to easily win their first games if they’re serious about winning the tournament.

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MOUZ vs PARAVISION
Vitality vs FaZe
Falcons vs B8
FURIA vs NAVI

MOUZ vs PARAVISION

Map bans	Map 1	Match score
TBD	TBD	MOUZ 0:0 PAR
	MOUZ 0:0 PAR

MOUZ views their match against PARAVISION as a good opportunity to get warmed up and ready for the main tournament. While PARAVISION showed promise earlier in the year, they aren’t expected to pose a significant challenge unless MOUZ themselves underperform.

Ever-so-evasive trophies

Throughout the first half of 2025, MOUZ consistently fell short of winning major tournaments, repeatedly losing to Vitality in the finals. They were always close to victory, but couldn’t quite secure the championship.

MOUZ struggled with consistency earlier in the year, but they’ve recently overcome those challenges, only to face new hurdles. They consistently perform well, often finishing in the top four, but haven’t yet secured a first-place victory. The upcoming Budapest Major and Stage 3 offer them a great opportunity to demonstrate they’re now contenders for the championship.

Vitality vs FaZe

Map bans	Map 1	Match score
TBD	TBD	Vitality 0:0 FaZe
	Vitality 0:0 FaZe

FaZe bounced back after a difficult start in Stage 1 and achieved a perfect 3-0 record in Stage 2. Now, Vitality needs a strong opponent to see if they’re ready for the Major tournament.

Echoes of the full dominance

Team Vitality dominated CS2 esports in the first half of 2025, winning every tournament they entered. However, after winning the Austin Major, their performance began to decline.

Vitality ultimately took first place at the 2025 ESL Pro League. However, they faced defeats against several other teams throughout the season, including MOUZ, FURIA, and Falcons.

After their matches, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire mentioned some communication difficulties the team was having. He brought this up before the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 tournament in Budapest. He hopes to see improvements in this area as they prepare for Stage 3, where they are considered strong contenders.

Falcons vs B8

Map bans	Map 1	Match score
TBD	TBD	Falcons 0:0 B8
	Falcons 0:0 B8

On paper, Team Falcons is expected to easily defeat B8. But they surprisingly lost to B8 in their first match at the Austin Major. That said, Falcons wasn’t playing as well then as they are now.

Hopes for tournament wins

Danny “zonic” Sørensen, a well-known Counter-Strike coach, has been working for a while now to create a championship-level team. He’s made significant progress with Team Falcons, consistently achieving high rankings in tournaments. However, despite their success, Falcons haven’t yet managed to win a major championship.

Team Falcons showed a lot of improvement with their new players at the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 event in Hong Kong, but FURIA ultimately performed better.

Reaching the playoffs at the Major after Stage 3 would give Team Falcons a significant confidence boost, especially as they are considered one of the top contenders.

FURIA vs NAVI

Map bans	Map 1	Match score
TBD	TBD	FURIA 0:0 NAVI
	FURIA 0:0 NAVI

This match is shaping up to be the most exciting and unpredictable one in the first round. NAVI is considered a top contender to win the championship, and this stage gives them an opportunity to prove they deserve that title. They easily advanced from the previous stage with three victories, but FURIA will be a much tougher challenge.

The final statement by FalleN?

So, after we won BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong, I actually had plans to retire from pro Counter-Strike. But honestly, seeing how well FURIA is doing right now is making me reconsider. If the team keeps playing this well, I might just stick around a little longer!

FURIA is currently enjoying a remarkable winning streak. It began with a victory at FISSURE Playground #2 and has continued with major wins at IEM Chengdu and BLAST Rivals Fall.

Winning the Budapest Major would be a fantastic accomplishment for FalleN, no matter what happens next in his career. As the clear favorites, FURIA is expected to easily advance through Stage 3 of the Major, including their match against NAVI.

Winning the first match of a series feels good and gives teams a helpful advantage, but it doesn’t automatically qualify them for the Playoffs. Losing teams still have opportunities to advance in later rounds.

Just a heads-up for anyone following the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 – we’re still in the group stage, but it wraps up on December 7th. Then, the playoffs – the really exciting part with the final brackets – kick off on December 11th. I’m already hyped!

2025-12-04 13:42