Aurora Gaming has won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, winning its first Counter-Strike 2 event since March 2025.
The Turkish roster defeated Brazilian esports organisation Legacy in the final map of the best-of-five series.
Aurora Gaming’s Road To Victory
Aurora Gaming’s journey to the Playoffs was far from smooth sailing, needing all five rounds of the Swiss Stage to qualify.
Early victories over Fnatic and Team Liquid put the team on the verge of qualification before defeats to HEROIC and SAW moved it to the brink of elimination.
A 2-1 victory over Astralis in the final Swiss Stage round secured Playoffs for a team that has shown glimpses of brilliance throughout tier one events in 2025.
Aurora Gaming’s opening quarterfinal match against B8 needed all three maps, with a 13-3 victory on Overpass securing a 2-1 win. A dominant 2-0 win over GamerLegion in the semifinal kept the momentum rolling into the Grand Final, where CS Asia Championship 2025 winners Legacy would be waiting.
The Turkish side opened the Grand Final with a convincing defensive showcase on Dust II and Mirage to establish a two-map lead. A double overtime on Train went in favour of Legacy, giving the Brazilians a way back into the final.
Some supreme attacking firepower from Legacy secured a 13-8 victory on Inferno to level the series and to send the series to a deciding Nuke.
With money in the bank, Legacy established an 11-8 lead in the second half, moving closer to another championship win. Aurora Gaming managed to dig deep, overturning the deficit to win 13-11 and secure the 3-2 series victory.
A Turning Point For Aurora
Victory at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is Aurora Gaming’s first notable CS2 trophy. The win follows a second-place finish at the Esports World Cup, where it lost to The MongolZ in the Grand Finals.
The timing of the win can lay the foundation for a strong finish to the year, with Aurora Gaming one of 32 teams competing at the StarLadder Budapest Major, which begins on November 24th.
With no clear favourite heading into the final event of 2025, Aurora Gaming’s recently discovered form could result in a deep run at the Major.
