Valve Cancels MRQ for StarLadder Budapest Major 2025: Teams to Receive Direct Invites via VRS
On June 11, Valve released a major update that affects the entire CS2 competitive scene. The Fall 2025 Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) for the upcoming StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 have been officially cancelled. Instead of the traditional qualification format, 32 teams will receive direct invites to the Major based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). The invite date remains unchanged — October 8, 2025.
Why Were the MRQs Cancelled?
Valve explained its decision in an official statement:
"One of the goals of the VRS is to standardize community events so that they can be integrated with the Majors. At this point we believe that a separate qualification process for the Major is both unnecessary and disruptive. Therefore, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Fall 2025 MRQs. Instead, the 32 teams participating in the Budapest Major will be invited directly from the VRS."
This approach makes every ranking event more impactful, emphasizing the importance of consistent performance throughout the season.
What This Means for Teams and Tournaments
With the cancellation of the MRQs, several implications follow:
- No separate qualifiers will be held in Fall 2025, easing the overall tournament calendar.
- Teams aiming to attend the Major must deliver consistent results in official events to climb the VRS leaderboard.
- The importance of Valve-partnered ranking events increases significantly.
- Teams will have more time to prepare, as they won’t need to go through qualifiers shortly before the Major.
What’s Next?
Valve announced that more information on invite distribution will be released after the conclusion of the Blast.tv Austin Major, which serves as the final opportunity for teams to boost their VRS points ahead of October’s invite wave.
While the update has sparked debate in the community, many teams and analysts have already expressed support for the new approach. The shift makes the road to the Major more transparent and competitive, ensuring that the final event features the strongest and most consistent teams.
Stay tuned for further updates following the end of the Austin Major to see which squads are closing in on their ticket to Budapest.
Danil Chepil is an expert in the world of esports, having been following the esports scene since 2014. He specializes in Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and VALORANT.
Danil began his acquaintance and collaboration with EgamersWorld in 2022 when, after the Russian aggression, he could no longer continue his career as a bartender.
At that time, he didn't realize that he had a talent for writing news and articles on esports and gaming topics.
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