The biggest tournament in Counter-Strike 2 history is taking place in hot Texas – BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. With 32 teams, three intense stages, and a finale in a sold-out Moody Center arena, this is an event that esports fans shouldn't miss.
In a world where games come and go faster than fashion trends, Counter-Strike remains a timeless classic. From its humble beginnings as a mod for the game Half-Life in 1999, it has become a mainstay of eSports. Despite minimal changes to its core mechanics – terrorists versus counter-terrorists – it remains one of the most played games in the world, combining simplicity with deep tactical complexity.
Stories that write Austin: Can anyone stop Vitality? S1mpl's comeback? And what's Donk up to?
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 Already in its opening days, it is becoming more than just a competition – it is a true venue for modern legends. At the forefront is Team Vitality, who after winning the IEM Dallas 2025 They are on a streak of six consecutive tournament wins and are undefeated in their last 30 matchesIt's the longest winning streak in CS2 history - and the question is simple: who can stop them?
The return is also attracting a lot of attention S1mpla, who is returning to the Major after a year-long hiatus as a member of the FaZe Clan team. The Ukrainian mouse and keyboard virtuoso is expected to be a temporary reinforcement, but expectations are high - will he be the one to break Vitality's dominance? Also, in the last year, it has been impressive Donk, the 18-year-old Russian “wonder boy” who already became the youngest MVP in history at the previous Major at the age of 17. But eyes are also turning to the Falcons team, where they have reunited. m0NESY, an exceptional young sniper, and No, one of the best players in the history of the game. Their collaboration in the Falcons has already borne fruit, as they helped the team win the PGL Bucharest 2025.
Money that writes history: how much does the Major bring?
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 offers a total prize pool of 1,250,000 US dollarsThe winning team will take home $500,000, while second place brings $170,000, third and fourth place $80,000 each, and teams from fifth to eighth place receive $45,000 each. But the real financial power of Major tournaments lies elsewhere – in stickers. Valves (the creator of Counter-Strike) releases special stickers with team logos and player signatures for each Major, which players purchase and use in-game. For example, on BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 the revenue from the sale of these stickers exceeded $110 millionThe average team earned approximately $4.5 million, while individual players received between $100,000 and $250,000Thus, for many teams, the stickers are a more lucrative part of the tournament than the competition prize itself - just finishing among the best brings a huge financial windfall.
Spectacle structure: four phases, 106 matches and thousands of live fans
Tournament BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is divided into four phases, each bringing its own dose of tension and struggles for prestige:
- Phase 1 (June 3–6): The 16 teams from the regional qualifiers will compete in a Swiss system. The promotion and relegation matches will be played in a Bo3 (best of three) format, the rest in a shorter Bo1 format.
- Phase 2 (June 7–10): The top 8 teams from Phase 1 join the 8 invited teams that qualified through the Valve Regional Standings. The system remains the same as before - advancement is earned, not given.
- Phase 3 (June 12–15): Once again, 16 teams – 8 from the previous phase and 8 new favorites – are fighting for a place in the knockout rounds. The format remains unchanged. Up to this point, all matches are played behind closed doors without spectators.
- Final (June 19–22): The top 8 teams of the tournament will compete in a classic knockout stage before to a live audience in Moody Center arena in Austin. It is a venue that accommodates up to 15,000 spectators and will definitely be filled to the last seat in four days.
In total, there will be played 106 matches, meaning every CS2 fan – whether they're rooting for the legends or betting on young prospects – will get their money's worth. It's a marathon of tension, tactics and precision shots that will take place over three weeks in the heart of Texas – culminating in front of a crowd of fans who will accompany every headshot with a roaring echo.
Record-breaking starts and high expectations
The first day of the tournament saw record viewership. A total of nearly 3.1 million hours of viewing were recorded, which is 25 % more than the previous Major in Shanghai. The largest concurrent viewers were during the matches B8 vs. Imperial Esports and BetBoom vs. Nemiga Gaming, when the number of concurrent viewers reached 475,544. Major tournaments in the past have achieved impressive numbers. For example, the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 reached a record 2,748,434 concurrent viewers. The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 recorded 1,528,724 viewers, while the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 attracted 1,844,748 viewers. Based on current trends and interest in the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, the finals are expected to attract between 1,5 and 2 million concurrent viewers, which would make it one of the most watched CS2 events ever.
Although the tournament has only just started, we have already witnessed some historic moments. Danish sniper Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi In OG's opening match against Complexity on the map Ancient, he racked up an incredible 33 eliminations and only 6 deaths, earning him a 3.08 HLTV rating - the highest rating ever achieved on a single map in the history of a Counter-Strike Major. This remarkable feat tied Georgiy "WorldEdit" Yaskin's record from 2016, but nicoodoz's achievement is especially impressive because it was achieved in the modern era of CS2, where competition is extremely fierce. His performance impressed both the audience and the official CS2 account on platform X, who called his achievement historic.
The next big CS2 spectacle: StarLadder Major Budapest 2025
After completion BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, which takes place from June 3rd to 22nd in Austin, Texas, the attention of esports fans will be turned closer to “home” – to Europe. The next Major tournament will be StarLadder Major Budapest 2025, which will take place between November 24 and December 14 in the Hungarian capital. The tournament will be held at two venues: the first three group stages will be played in MTK Sportpark, a modern hall with a capacity of 2,000 spectators, between November 24 and December 7. The final part, Playoffs, will take place between 11 and 14 December in MVM Dome, the largest indoor arena in Hungary, which can accommodate up to 20,000 spectators. Tickets for all stages of the tournament are already available, with prices ranging from €10 for the group stages to €370 for the best seats in the final. More information and ticket purchases are available at official website tournament page.
Conclusion: an esports spectacle not to be missed
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is more than just a tournament; it's a celebration of esports, where Counter-Strike history is being made. With the largest number of teams ever, intense matches, and record-breaking viewership, this is an event that will be remembered for a long time. If you're a fan of CS2 or esports in general, you simply can't afford to miss this spectacle.
