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Ahead of the playoff match between Team Spirit and Falcons at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, the atmosphere is building up, but both teams come into this meeting with a clear and simple goal — reach the next stage. Team Spirit will try to show their usual disciplined, stable Counter-Strike and prove once again that they can perform under pressure when it matters most. Falcons, meanwhile, rely on their firepower and confident, straightforward style that has helped them win important games throughout the season.
This match is shaping up to be a solid test for Team Spirit, who need to control the pace from start to finish, while Falcons have a real chance to break expectations if they manage to impose their momentum early. A calm, but highly important clash awaits — and many fans see it as one of the key matchups of the playoff stage.
How Bookmakers See It: Slight Edge for Falcons
Bookmakers call this matchup almost even — the odds are 1.99 on Team Spirit and 1.80 on Falcons. Analysts give a small advantage to Falcons, mainly because of their more stable recent results.
At the same time, Spirit stay a dangerous opponent: the team plays structured CS and can turn any bo3 in their favor if they start well. Falcons are seen as a bit more consistent right now, which is why their odds are slightly lower, but overall this is expected to be a very close match.
Team Spirit form. What result can be expected from Team Spirit
Team Spirit went through a long development phase before reaching a stable competitive level. In the early stages, their results were inconsistent: the roster played across different tournaments, searched for the right lineup, and worked to find their identity, but they struggled to secure a strong foothold among the top teams. Gradually, internal adjustments and accumulated experience began to translate into progress.
- Team Spirit roster (2025): chopper, sh1ro, donk, zweih, tN1R.
The 2025 season has also been strong for Spirit. The team secured 1st place at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 and PGL Astana 2025, finished 2nd at IEM Katowice 2025, and took 3rd–4th at ESL Pro League Season 21, BLAST Open Spring 2025, and BLAST Rivals Spring 2025.
At IEM Cologne 2025, Spirit defeated HEROIC, Aurora Gaming, and MOUZ to qualify directly for the semifinals. There, they beat NAVI and then swept MOUZ 3-0 in the grand final to win the championship.
The team continued their strong form at BLAST Bounty Fall 2025, taking down VP, MOUZ, and Mongolz to secure the title.
Their result at the Esports World Cup, however, was disappointing: Spirit unexpectedly lost to HEROIC 1-2 in their first match and exited in the top 16.
At ESL Pro League Season 22, Spirit went 3-0 in Stage 2 but lost their opening playoff match against FaZe Clan, finishing 5th–8th.
At IEM Chengdu 2025, Spirit started with a win over paiN Gaming but then fell to Team Falcons and moved to the lower bracket. They defeated HEROIC in the Lower Bracket Semifinal but later lost to The Mongolz, finishing 7th–8th.
Team Spirit entered StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 directly from the third stage, and the team immediately showed why they were placed this high. They advanced to the playoffs with a clean 3–0 record, demonstrating confident and well-structured gameplay throughout all their matches.
They opened their run with a solid 13–8 win against Liquid, controlling the pace from start to finish. Later that same day, Spirit delivered an even stronger performance against FaZe, taking a convincing 13–5 victory and proving they were in excellent form. The final step toward the playoffs came in a tough fight versus MOUZ — a competitive series that ended 2:1 in favor of Spirit, securing their flawless progression into the knockout stage.
Team Spirit Map Pool
Team Spirit have been showing solid form over the past three months, especially on Ancient and Overpass, where they hold 80% and 66.7% win rates. Mirage also looks good with 63.6%, while Dust2, often their first pick, sits at 55.6%. The only weak spot right now is Nuke, with just 28.6% wins. It’s also worth noting that Inferno is their permanent ban, as the team clearly avoids that map in their current pool.
Team Falcons form. What result can be expected from Team Falcons
Team Falcons entered 2025 with one of the strongest and most expensive rosters in Counter-Strike 2, bringing together top-tier stars and aiming for consistent S-tier results.
- Team Falcons roster (2025): NiKo, TeSeS, kyxsan, m0NESY, kyousuke.
The 2025 DreamTeam era began с mixed performances. Their first months of the season included disappointing placements at BLAST Bounty Season 1 and IEM Katowice 2025, where Falcons finished 16th at both events.
A major turning point came at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, where Falcons advanced through the Swiss stage 3–1, beat Eternal Fire and FaZe in the playoffs, and reached the grand final. Although they lost to MOUZ, it was the team’s strongest run in months and restored confidence in the lineup.
Their results remained inconsistent across ESL Pro League Season 21 and BLAST Open Lisbon 2025, but Falcons hit peak form again at PGL Bucharest 2025, where they defeated Rare Atom, MongolZ, GamerLegion, FaZe and then overpowered G2 in the grand final, securing a long-awaited championship title.
Strong showings continued at IEM Melbourne 2025, where Falcons reached the grand final and narrowly lost to Vitality 2–3. They repeated a similar result at BLAST Rivals Season 1, finishing second again after another close grand final versus Vitality.
Falcons also placed 3–4 at IEM Dallas 2025, while BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 and IEM Cologne 2025 ended with 22nd and 12th place finishes. A positive highlight came at the Esports World Cup 2025, where Falcons delighted their home crowd by finishing third.
At ESL Pro League Season 22, Falcons delivered one of their most confident performances of the year, going 3–0 in both stages and reaching the grand final, where they once again finished second after losing to Vitality. They kept their level high at IEM Chengdu 2025, securing a solid 3rd place.
At the ongoing StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Falcons started with a stumble, losing 10:13 to B8. They quickly recovered with a confident 13:5 win over Passion UA and a dominant 13:1 victory against Imperial. In the first qualification attempt, Falcons fought hard but fell to MOUZ 1:2, once again showing both their strong potential and the inconsistency that has followed them this season. Their last and decisive qualification match for the playoffs turned into a principled showdown against G2 — a tense, back-and-forth series where every map was close. In the end, Falcons prevailed 2:1, securing a hard-earned spot in the playoff stage.
Falcons Map Pool
Falcons head into the semifinal with a confident map-pool performance over the past three months, highlighting their strength on several key battlegrounds. The team shows complete dominance on Ancient, boasting a 100% win rate, making it their most reliable pick in any series. They look almost as strong on Nuke, where an 88.9% win rate reflects their structured play and clear understanding of tactical rotations. Mirage is another solid map for them, with 83.3% victories, showcasing their comfort in open duels and clutch scenarios. On Dust2, Falcons maintain a strong 75% win rate, while Train sits at a more modest 50%, but still remains a playable option. Their only real weak spot is Inferno, where the team holds just 38.5% wins. Overall, Falcons’ map pool appears stable and flexible, allowing them to enter any BO3 series with confidence.
Head-to-Head Record
In their recent meetings, Falcons hold a clear head-to-head advantage over Team Spirit, leading the matchup with 6 wins against Spirit’s 1. The teams have faced each other multiple times in 2025 across BLAST Rivals and IEM events, and most of these series went in Falcons’ favor.
Falcons consistently managed to edge out Spirit on key maps like Dust2 and Ancient, winning close games such as 16–13 and 16–12, while also securing more dominant victories like 13–6 and 13–4. Spirit’s only win in this period came on Mirage with a confident 13–4 scoreline, but overall the matchup history remains heavily tilted toward Falcons.
This background adds extra intrigue to their upcoming clash, as Spirit will be looking to finally break the unfavorable trend, while Falcons aim to reinforce their dominance in this pairing.
Match Prediction: Team Spirit vs Falcons — StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
Considering everything we know about both teams — current form, map pools, head-to-head history, and how they performed at StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 — this matchup looks extremely competitive and difficult to call. Team Spirit arrive in the playoffs after a flawless 3–0 run, showing discipline, stable setups, and confident mid-round decisions. Their victories over Liquid, FaZe, and MOUZ prove that the team is in excellent shape and capable of handling high-pressure situations without losing structure. Falcons, on the other hand, reached the playoffs the hard way, but their path shows equally important qualities: resilience, mental strength, and the ability to win tense, chaotic games. Their decisive match against G2 — a principled, back-and-forth battle that ended 2:1 — underlines their capability to pull through when it matters most.
The map pools of both teams point to a very balanced series. Spirit will avoid Inferno and likely aim for Overpass or Dust2, while Falcons are almost guaranteed to target Ancient or Mirage — both maps where they have been extremely strong. Neither side has a clear map-pool advantage across the entire BO3, meaning each team is likely to secure at least one comfortable pick. Combined with Falcons’ historical dominance in the head-to-head (6:1 in their favor) and Spirit’s current tournament form, we get a classic stylistic clash: one team is structurally stable and methodical, the other explosive and momentum-driven.
Because the teams approach the series with different strengths — Spirit relying on discipline and fundamentals, Falcons leaning on firepower and strong individual peaks — it’s unlikely that either side will dominate two maps in a row. With the odds nearly even (1.99 on Spirit, 1.80 on Falcons), bookmakers also expect a very close match without a clear favorite. All indicators point to a long, competitive showdown where both teams take at least one map.
Given the balance of form, map pools, and matchup history, the most probable scenario is a full BO3 — this series is very likely to go to all three maps.
Prediction: Total Over 2.5 Maps.
