After grueling three weeks of CS2 action at the StarLadder Budapest Major, only two teams remain – Vitality and FaZe Clan.
The reigning Major champions have a chance to go back-to-back and retain the most coveted trophy in Counter-Strike.
While FaZe could complete their unthinkable run all the way from Stage 1 to the Grand Final in the MVM Dome.
Here’s our preview of the matchup.
Vitality are back where they belong. Credit: © StarLadder
One of the most exciting possible Grand Final matchups has come to fruition, with Vitality set to take on FaZe on Sunday in a BO5 in front of a packed MVM Dome.
Vitality had a challenging second half to 2025 for their standards, winning only one event after a near-flawless first season of the year. There were doubts over their Major chances, having lost to all the top contenders before the tournament.
However, the Major experience shone through for the international squad in the playoffs. Vitality took care of The MongolZ before outlasting Spirit in a tight semi-final bout. Most importantly, the undefeatable quality Vitality had in the first season seems to be back.
Spirit had the measure of Vitality on map one, but the reigning Major champions came back from 12-6 down, defending eight map points and eventually winning out in overtime. They’ll certainly need that grit in the Grand Final against FaZe.
Speaking of the devil, it’s very difficult to explain how exactly FaZe managed to get to this point. From being a round away from elimination in Stage 1 to outplaying MOUZ and Natus Vincere in a packed arena.
A massive part of FaZe’s success in the latter part of the Major was played by the stark improvements of some of their players. Most CS2 fans were calling for Helvijs “broky” Saukants’ and Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski’s heads, but the two have stepped up when it mattered most.
What’s interesting in this matchup is that FaZe already beat Vitality at this Major. The two squads locked horns in the opening game of Stage 3, where Finn “karrigan” Andersen completely outcalled Dan “apEX” Madescalire on Nuke and led his team to a decisive 13-7 victory.
It’s quite obvious that Vitality are the massive favorites to beat FaZe and lift their second Major trophy of the year tomorrow. The fact that the Major Grand Final will, for the first time, be a BO5 also helps their chances.
The map pool is stronger for Vitality as well, with Mirage and Dust II virtually lock-ins for the defending champs. However, FaZe have a chance to take home Nuke and Inferno. Moreover, karrigan is known to like map veto shenanigans, so we could see Train in the mix.
In any case, no one can completely count out FaZe, but Vitality have all the advantages coming into Sunday’s game. The best team of the year should cement their legacy as one of the best teams of all time, beat FaZe in the Grand Final, and lift the Major trophy in Budapest.
Score prediction:
Odds:
Odds courtesy of Stake. CS2 odds are subject to change.
Feature image credit: © StarLadder
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