With highly unpredictable outcomes in Stage 1 and 2 at the MTK Sportpark in Budapest, there’s no shame in having failed in a few predictions. Now, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) fans stare at another hurdle—making the best Stage 3 Pick’Ems predictions.

To assist you in getting those StarLadder Budapest Major Pick’Ems done and dusted, and possibly completing the next set of challenges, we’ve got our best predictions to share.

Best Budapest Major Stage 3 Pick’Em Choices

First, a quick refresher course on the relevant Pick’Em challenges that our guide to getting the Diamond Coin explained in detail. To continue leveling up your Viewers Pass, you must complete the following two challenges for Stage 3 of the Major Championship.

• Place all ten (10) Pick’Em predictions for Stage 3 before it begins.
• Get five (5) correct Pick’Em predictions for Stage 3. 

You have until 04:00 PT on December 4, 2025, before Stage 3 Pick’Ems close. That’s 12:00 GMT (midday) for those in the UK/Europe.

The second challenge is more complicated. You must predict the two squads that will advance to the playoffs stage as top seeds with 3-0 records. Further, there’s the daunting task of picking two teams that will get eliminated from the StarLadder Budapest Major’s Stage 3 with 0-3 records. Your final task is to select six teams that will advance to the playoff stage with 3-1 and 3-2 records.

What makes this task so challenging is that most matches are best-of-one (except elimination and advancement), leading to many upsets across the board.

Please note: There is no guarantee that these Pick’Ems will be accurate. Copy us at your own risk, or go with your gut and make your own predictions. We conducted diligent research, taking into consideration the latest statistics, our gut feeling, and CS2 betting odds.

3-0 Predictions For Stage 3:

In our StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 2 Pick’Em predictions, we believed that FaZe Clan would power up—and they certainly did. In Stage 3, FaZe Clan can use this momentum to power up further and crush their way to the playoffs. Our bold prediction here is that FaZe Clan will come out swinging in Stage 3 to beat Team Vitality in the opening best-of-one.

Next up is Team Falcons, the Saudi Arabian organization’s superteam that, on paper, is a frontrunner. There’s no better place than a Major Championship to soar to new heights, and Team Falcons arguably has an easy start against B8.

• FaZe Clan
• Team Falcons

0-3 Predictions For Stage 3:

Passion UA narrowly made it past Stage 2, and Stage 3 will likely mark the end of their journey. For our other 0-3 team in Stage 3, it was a coin flip between Imperial Esports and paiN Gaming. The latter is ranked #18 on the VRS, while the former is ranked #29. However, Imperial Esports did show promise in Stage 1 and Stage 2.

• Passion UA
• paiN Gaming

3-1 and 3-2 Predictions For Stage 3:

For our 3-1 and 3-2 Pick’Em predictions in Stage 3, we went with the highest-ranked options remaining, including favorites to lift the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 trophy. It would be a colossal upset if two or more of these teams didn’t make the playoffs.

• Team Vitality
• FURIA
• NAVI
• Team Spirit
• MOUZ
• Team Liquid

The outlier here is Team Liquid, which we picked above G2 Esports and The MongolZ.

StarLadder Budapest Major continues on December 4 with the opening Stage 3 matches. While the first day of competition had some broadcast issues, it’s been smooth sailing in Stage 2. 

Watch all the top-tier CS2 esports action live via the tournament organizer’s Twitch, YouTube, and Kick channels.