PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 Highlights: Best CS2 Moments
The PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 lit up Romania’s capital with non-stop action from the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams. With $1,250,000 on the line, every round felt like a statement, every clutch a piece of Major history in the making.
Before the event kicked off, our Power Rankings had Aurora Gaming sitting confidently at #1 and Legacy as our bold #2 pick. This was despite VRS rankings and betting odds hinting that the Brazilian side would be lucky to crack the top eight, but Bucharest had other plans.
Legacy & Aurora Barely Survive The Swiss Stage
The PGL Masters Bucharest 2025’s Swiss Stage saw Aurora get off to a strong start, beating FNATIC 2-0 and reverse sweeping Team Liquid for a 2-1 win. However, only a win away from a Playoffs spot, Aurora got swept 0-2 by HEROIC and suffered a reverse sweep at the hands of underdogs SAW.
With their backs against the wall, Aurora narrowly managed to beat Astralis with a 2-1 comeback. It is worth noting that Astralis played with coach Casper “ruggah” Due against Aurora, since AWPer Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz was suffering from food poisoning.
In their opening Swiss Stage match, Legacy suffered a reverse sweep loss at the hands of Team Liquid. The Brazilian side bounced back to dispatch Gentle Mates with a 2-0 win and Astralis with another 2-0 win.
Against underdogs B8 Esports, Legacy lost 2-1 to a reverse sweep. With their tournament life on the line, Legacy stabilized and beat FlyQuest 2-0 to reach the Playoffs.
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025’s Swiss Stage was packed with upsets, from paiN Gaming and HEROIC topping the charts at 3-0, with one of the favorites, French side 3DMAX, getting eliminated with a 1-3 score.
Aurora Powers Up In Playoffs
While Aurora was our top pick to win the tournament, their form in the Swiss Stage didn’t instill much confidence.
In the Quarterfinals against underdogs B8 Esports, Aurora won their map pick Dust2 with a 13-10 scoreline after a close 6-6 in the first half of play. B8 Esports put up a strong showing on their map pick, Mirage, for a 13-8 win.
On the third and deciding map, Overpass, we saw Aurora finally wake up, winning the first half 9-3 on the T side and smashing B8 Esports 4-0 to close the map 13-3 and, therefore, the series 2-1.
In the Semifinals against GamerLegion, Aurora Gaming hit peak form, putting up a jaw-dropping performance. Aurora won GamerLegion’s map pick Overpass with an incredible 13-1 score.
On Aurora’s map pick, Dust2, GamerLegion won the first round—and their last. Thanks to chart-topping performances from Aurora’s IGL, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli (2.05 rating) and star rifler İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş (2.01 rating), Aurora won 13 in a row to close out Dust2 with a 13-1 score.
The match was the cleanest 2-0 of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, as Aurora progressed to the Grand Final.
Legacy Claws Their Way To The Grand Final
After narrowly making it past the Swiss Stage, Legacy met paiN Gaming in the Quarterfinals of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025. The Brazilian derby saw Legacy win their map pick Inferno with a solid 13-7 score.
paiN Gaming retaliated to win their map pick Dust2 with a 13-10 score to force a decider. On Nuke, the teams were tied 6-6 at halftime. However, on the CT side, Legacy pulled ahead with vigor to win 13-7, securing the series 2-1.
In the Semifinals, Legacy faced the Portuguese side SAW, an on-form underdog who claimed the scalp of Team Liquid in their Quarterfinal match. With momentum on their side, SAW drew first blood, winning Legacy’s map pick of Inferno with a solid 13-7 score.
On the brink of elimination, Legacy bounced back on SAW’s map pick, Nuke, to force overtime and win in a 16-12 finish. SAW ran out of steam on the deciding map, Ancient, as Legacy dominated with a 13-3 win to complete the reverse sweep and earn a spot in the Grand Final.
SAW went on to pull off a comeback against GamerLegion in the Third-Place Decider match.
A Grand Final Slugfest
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025’s best-of-five Grand Final delivered on all fronts. Starting on Dust2 (Aurora’s map pick), it was Legacy that had an early 7-5 lead. On the CT side, however, Aurora found their footing to close out the map 13-11, avoiding overtime and taking a 1-0 series lead.
Aurora managed a minor 7-5 lead on Legacy’s map pick of Mirage, and in the second half, smashed the Brazilian side for a 13-8 win. But Legacy didn’t go down without a fight, going up 9-3 on Train, before the Turkish side retaliated to force overtime with a 12-12 comeback score in regulation.
After double overtime, Legacy finally managed to close out the map 19-17. Train delivered our favorite moment of the match, where Aurora’s Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın pulled off an absolutely incredible 4v1 clutch to keep things competitive early on.
The Brazilian side got off to a strong 9-3 start on the T side of their map pick, Inferno, and despite resistance from Aurora in the second half, Legacy closed it out 13-8, forcing a fifth and deciding map.
On Nuke (a CT-sided map), Aurora earned a 7-5 advantage on the T side in the first half. While the teams went back-and-forth in the second half, Aurora managed to stabilize right at the end for a 13-11 win, staving off the Legacy reverse sweep attempt for a 3-2 victory in the Grand Final.
Which Team Won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025?
Aurora Gaming won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, claiming their first notable LAN trophy after coming exceptionally close at Esports World Cup 2025, losing to The MongolZ in the Grand Final.
In the Swiss Stage, Aurora started strong, winning their first two matches before losing two in a row, putting themselves on the brink of elimination at 2-2. Aurora managed to scrape by a wounded Astralis playing without Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz.
In the Playoff Stage, Aurora dispatched B8 Esports with a 2-1 score and GamerLegion with a dominating 2-0. They went 2-0 in the Grand Final, and while Legacy nearly made a comeback, Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli’s squad stabilized to win 3-2 and lift the PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 trophy.
Aurora Gaming roster:
- İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
- Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın
- Özgür “woxic” Eker
- Samet “jottAAA” Köklü
- Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli (IGL)
- Sezgin “Fabre” Kalaycı (Coach)
MVP Honors
The MVP of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is Aurora’s star rifler, İsmailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş. The 30-year-old earned his first top-tier LAN event MVP award, propelling his squad to victory.
In the Grand Final, where it mattered most, XANTARES topped the scoreboard with a rating of 1.36, high-impact plays, and a whopping 103-83 K-D, the highest by far on the server.
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 Final Standings
Here are the final standings and prize pool distribution for PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, including Player Share and Club Share.
| Place | Team | Player Share | Club Share | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aurora Gaming | $200,000 | $200,000 | $400,000 |
| 2nd | Legacy | $93,750 | $93,750 | $187,500 |
| 3rd | SAW | $75,000 | $75,000 | $150,000 |
| 4th | GamerLegion | $43,750 | $43,750 | $87,500 |
| 5th-8th | HEROIC paiN Gaming Team Liquid B8 Esports | $31,250 each | $31,250 each | $62,500 each |
| 9th-11th | Astralis FlyQuest Gentle Mates | $15,625 each | $15,625 each | $31,250 each |
| 12th-14th | BetBoom Team 3DMAX FNATIC | $9,375 each | $9,375 each | $18,750 each |
| 15th-16th | Ninjas in Pyjamas MIBR | $6,250 each | $6,250 each | $12,500 each |
FAQs
When was PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 held?
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 took place from October 26 to November 1, 2025, at the PGL Studios venue in Romania.
Who won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025?
Turkish powerhouse Aurora Gaming won PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, beating Legacy 3-2 in the Grand Final.
What was the biggest upset of PGL Masters Bucharest 2025?
French side 3DMAX getting eliminated with a 1-3 score in the Swiss Stage is arguably the biggest upset of the tournament. They were one of the favorites, and #9 on the VRS at the start of the event.
Which player stood out the most at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025?
İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş stood out as the best player at the event, and the spearhead of Aurora Gaming’s attack with an average rating of 1.27 across 23 maps played.
What was the PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 prize pool?
The PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 prize pool was $1,250,000, split evenly between a Club Share and a Player Share.
