After three intense stages of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, only eight out of the original 32 teams remain in contention for the championship at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Tournament favorites Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, and Team Spirit lead the list of Playoff-qualified squads. They are joined by FURIA Esports, Natus Vincere (NAVI), The MongolZ, MOUZ, and paiN Gaming. Teams like Virtus.pro, G2 Esports, Team Liquid, and others failed to make the final cut.
Vitality came into the Major with high expectations, having won six straight tournaments and boasting a 30-match win streak before an early stumble against underdog Legacy. Despite that upset, they rebounded with wins over Liquid, LVG, and VP to secure their Playoff spot.
FaZe Clan, bolstered by the addition of legendary player Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, experienced a rocky road through Stage 2 and 3 but ultimately secured their place after critical wins over MOUZ, Legacy, and MongolZ. With North American favorite Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski on the roster, FaZe will have strong crowd support at the Moody Center.
Defending champions Spirit looked dominant, breezing through Stage 3 without dropping a map. Star rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets continues to impress, fueling Spirit’s campaign to defend their title.
FURIA Esports made a surprise run to the Playoffs, showing strong form with new additions Danil “molodoy” Golubenko and Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis. Veteran Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo has shifted to a full-time IGL rifling role, freeing up the squad’s structure and allowing their new AWPer to shine.
NAVI also returned to form, bouncing back from a third-round loss to Spirit with a dominant sweep over G2 to secure their place. This marks their first Major Playoff appearance since their CS2 championship run.
The final three teams—MOUZ, MongolZ, and paiN—narrowly advanced after surviving elimination matches in Stage 3. MOUZ, ranked second in the world, avoided an early exit with key wins over Liquid and Aurora in best-of-three series.
The Austin Major marks the third CS2 Major Championship and features a US$1.25 million prize pool. The eight remaining teams will battle in the Playoffs for the title and their share of the prize.
