BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025: Where to Watch, Teams Preview, and Odds

Counter-Strike has evolved into one of the world’s largest esports, with non-stop events throughout the year.  The multiplayer first-person shooter video game now holds roughly 100-150 events annually, with major prize money up for grabs. Among these tournaments are two Majors every year, featuring the best teams in the world. The prize pool for these tournaments can go up to $1 million (£740,000).

The spotlight is now on Austin, Texas, as it gets ready to host the first Major of 2025, running from June 3rd to 22nd. This is a big deal for North American fans as it’s the fourth time the U.S. has hosted a Major and the first since Boston 2018. It’s also BLAST.tv’s second time organizing a Major, after Paris 2023.

This upcoming Major is extra special. It’s the third Major in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and the 22nd Major overall in the history of the game. 32 top teams are competing for the $1.25 million (£930,000) prize pool.

Team Spirit from Serbia won the last Major in Shanghai (December 2024). As the defending champions, they will be looking to replicate their success on American soil.

Where to Watch Austin Major Live

Fans in the United Kingdom can catch the action live in English on the BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. 

Key Details

• Start Date: June 2, 2025
• End Date: June 22, 2025
• Location: JW Marriott and Moody Center, Austin, Texas
• Prize Pool: US$1,250,000
• Where to Watch: Twitch and YouTube
• Format: 3 group stages (Swiss system format) and playoffs (single-elimination bracket)

What’s at Stake?

This is what each team will walk away with (in British pounds):

• Champions: £371,000
• 2nd place: £126,00
• 3rd-4th place: £59,000
• 5th-8th place: £33,000
• 9th-16th place: £11,000
• 17th-24th place: £7,000
• 25th-32nd place: £3,000

Teams will also earn 50% from all the sales of Major stickers, an in-game cosmetic featuring the logos of teams and autographs of their players that can be added to a weapon. So, if you are a fan, you can support your favourite team by getting their stickers.

Tournament Format and Team Lineups

The tournament follows a three-stage format: Challengers (stage 1), Legends (stage 2), and Champions (stage 3). Stage 1 features 16 teams that qualified through regional events. There are eight highly-ranked teams, each in stages 2 and 3, that received a direct invite from VRS (Valve Regional Standings). 

The tournament will follow a Swiss-system format in each stage, where Best of 1 (BO1) will be played in a single-elimination format. The teams that advance in their stages will move on to Best of 3 (BO3) matches, and three winners from each stage will enter the playoffs for BO1 matches.

Any ties will be resolved using the Buchholz score, head-to-head results, and round difference, if needed. Rematches will not be allowed, and once a team loses, they’re out of the tournament.

Here’s the full list of participating teams in the Austin Major:

Stage 3 (Champions Stage: 12-15 June)

These eight teams received direct invites to the Legends Stage due to their top rankings in the VRS:

• Europe: Team Vitality, Team Spirit, Natus Vincere (NAVI), MOUZ, Aurora Gaming, G2 Esports
• Americas: Team Liquid
• Asia-Pacific: The MongolZ

Ratings and win/loss streak:

Stage 2 (Legends Stage: 7-10 June)

These teams were invited based on strong regional performances and VRS standings:

• Europe: Team Falcons, FaZe Clan, 3DMAX
• Asia: Virtus.pro
• Americas: paiN Gaming, FURIA Esports, MIBR, M80

Ratings and win/loss streak:

Stage 1 (Challengers Stage: 3-6 June)

These 16 teams secured their spots through regional qualifiers:

• Europe: OG, Heroic, Metizport, Nemiga Gaming, BetBoom Team, B8
• North America: Complexity Gaming, Wildcard Gaming, NRG Esports
• South America: Imperial Esports, Fluxo, BESTIA
• Asia-Pacific: TYLOO, Lynn Vision Gaming, FlyQuest, Chinggis Warriors
  

Ratings and win/loss streak:

Debutants and Stars

Eight teams are debuting in this competition: 

• Aurora
• Falcons
• Metizport
• BetBoom
• B8
• BESTIA
• M80
• Chinggis Warriors. 

B8 is the youngest team at this Major. They always came close in previous qualifiers but never made it through. However, in the latest qualifier, they made a dramatic turnaround. They started with a 0-2 loss but ended up winning five consecutive Bo3 matches to qualify.

Metizport was virtually unknown a few years ago. Their lineup includes three former players from NIP: Hampus, Isak, and Plopski. BESTIA and Chinggis Warriors were also relatively unknown.

Aurora acquired its players from the Eternal Fire team. 

Star Players to Look Out For

• ZywOo (Vitality): Vitality’s Mathieu Herbaut, aka Zywoo, is widely regarded as the best Counter Strike player in the world. In the five tier-1 tournaments that Team Vitality participated in, ZywOo consistently claimed the MVP title.
• Donk (Spirit): Danil Kryshkovets, aka donk, was awarded the 2024 Player of the Year. He has a 1.45 rating, +257 kill differential, and 1.46 K/D. Donk has eight MVP medals, including one from the Shanghai Major 2024.
• M0NESY (Falcons): Ilya Osipov, aka m0NESY, has a 1.28 HLTV rating and ranks third in the world. M0NESY hasn’t won any Major yet, but has made two semifinal appearances: at the Shanghai Major 2024 and PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen.
• Torzsi (MOUZ): Ádám Torzsás, aka torzsi, has broken into the top 15 players globally with a solid 1.14 rating. He hasn’t won a Major yet, but was among the top-4 finishers at the Shanghai Major 2024, won the PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, and made it to the finals ofESL Pro League and BLAST Open Lisbon.
• S1mple (FaZe):  Oleksandr Kostyliev, aka s1mple returns to the competition after a long break. He has a rating of 1.11.

Austin Major: Complete Format and Schedule

Currently, only the schedule for stage 1 matches is available. The 16 stage 1 teams will play BO1 matches against each other on 3rd June. On 4th June, the teams will be shuffled and play more one-on-one matches. The winners will play BO3 matches within their group, and ultimately three winners will emerge from this category by 6th June.

Here is the available schedule for the first leg:

Tuesday, June 3rd

Stage 2 matches will be played from 7th to 10th June. Eight stage 2 teams will face each other in BO1 matches. The winners will advance to BO3 rounds, and the final winners from stage 2 will be announced on 10th June. 

Stage 3 teams will play in the same format from 12th to 15th June. From June 19th to 22nd, we will have the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the grandfinal.

BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025: Betting Odds

For those interested in betting, 7bet offers various markets on the Austin Major. Popular bet types for one-on-one stage matches include predicting the match winner, rounds handicap, total number of rounds, Team A total rounds, and Team B total rounds.

For example, the first match between Complexity Gaming and OG on 3rd June offers these odds:

Match Winner

Rounds Handicap (+/- 3.5)

Total Number of Rounds

Complexity Gaming Total Rounds

OG Total Rounds

Please note that the odds are accurate as per the publishing time of the article. Make sure to check the latest odds before placing a bet.

Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org