Esports tournament organiser StarLadder has announced that the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 event will feature a best-of-five Grand Final.
The final event of the 2025 season will be the first time a Counter-Strike Major will use five maps to determine its champion.
Announced on November 4th, 2025, the news comes after the community called on Valve to revise the Major format to bring it in line with other Tier 1 events hosted by various tournament organisers.
The likes of ESL, BLAST, and FISSURE have hosted tournaments with a best-of-five Grand Final. In October, the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 played host to FURIA completing a reverse sweep over NAVI in the Grand Final
Starting with the Budapest Major, all future Majors will also feature a best-of-five Grand Final. Previous Majors saw the Grand Final contested using a best-of-three series.
In addition to announcing a revised Grand Final format, StarLadder also revealed a sneak peek at the stage layout that will feature at the MVM Dome during the playoffs between December 11th to 14th.
The 20,000-seat arena will host a 360-degree stage setup, offering all fans in attendance a clear view of the action taking place.
Community Reaction
Valve’s decision to implement best-of-five Grand Finals has been met with a wealth of positivity from the community. “Finally! A big step forward,” commented one fan.
Alongside the positivity, several fans have asked Valve to make further changes to the Major format. Best-of-one matches will remain for the group stage, sparking calls to adjust the format. “Next is getting rid of BO1s,” added another community member.
The arrival of best-of-five Grand Finals to Counter-Strike Majors is a step in the right direction for the title’s biggest tournaments. With Valve seemingly open to revising the format, it will be interesting to see whether it changes other elements for future tournaments.
