StarLadder is back after almost six years with the StarLadder StarSeries 2025 Counter-Strike 2 tournament. The event took a hiatus after the Major in Berlin, but is now back with a significantly bigger prize pool. The Ukrainian tournament organiser, StarLadder, will host its continuation of StarSeries Season 19 in the Fall of 2025, with events starting on Sunday, September 13.

StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 will play a critical role in the broader Counter-Strike 2 circuit this season. Eight of the best teams will compete for the StarLadder Major prize pool and valuable Valve Regional Standing (VRS) points. The points will determine which teams qualify for the StarLadder Major in Budapest, Hungary. Here’s what we know about the StarLadder StarSeries 2025, the teams participating, the tournament format, and schedule.

StarLadder StarSeries 2025 Details

There will be a total of 16 StarLadder StarSeries 2025 participants divided among two events. The offline portion of the tournament will have a group stage and the main event. The group stage will feature 16 teams, while the main tournament will have eight teams competing for the prize.

Most of the StarLadder StarSeries 2025 participants will be invited directly from Valve Ranking, with the top teams receiving invitations first. Among the top teams that accept the invitation, four will directly move to the main event.

The other 12 teams will compete in the group stage, with four winners joining the main competition. The remaining four slots will be filled by online qualifiers for the Europe and Americas regions.

The StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 Schedule will feature the offline group stage from Sunday, September 13, to Wednesday, September 17. The offline main event commences on Thursday, September 18, and lasts until Sunday, September 21.

StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 Format

StarLadder is among the best CSGO tournament organizers, and Fall 2025 is shaping up to be another well-structured tournament. The event will kick off with a 16-team group stage, in which StarLadder StarSeries 2025 teams will compete in a GSL-style format. For the uninitiated, the Global StarCraft League (GSL) format is similar to the Swiss format, in which four groups of four teams compete in a double-elimination bracket.

Four teams from the group stage will advance to the main event. Four teams with direct VRS-based invites will join the fray. The StarLadder StarSeries 2025 format will be a double-elimination tournament with a best-of-three format.

Favorites for StarLadder StarSeries 2025

The StarLadder StarSeries 2025 qualifiers are over, and eight teams have made it to the tournament. Four teams, Ninjas in Pyjamas, NAVI, B8, and Passion UA, received direct invites. OG Esports, Iberian Soul, PARIVISION, and 9INE qualified for the StarSeries.

With talented teams competing, it’s hard to pin down a favorite in the tournament. The StarLadder StarSeries 2025 matches will be best of 3, so the teams will have some margin for comebacks.

Navi, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and B8 are favorites going into the StarLadder StarSeries 2025 Bracket.

NAVI

NAVI is the highest-rated team to enter the tournament, so naturally, it’s considered the top contender. However, the team’s performance isn’t as excellent as last year. While NAVI started the year strong, it hasn’t had a great time in recent tournaments.

Failing to make the playoffs at BLAST.tv Austin Major and finishing in 9th place at Esports World Cup 2025 shows a decline in NAVI’s performance. Despite the hiccups, the team is still considered the best among the eight StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 teams.

Ninjas in Pyjamas

Ninjas in Pyjamas started 2025 with a fresh roster. The new team, led by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, also included notable players such as Rasmus “sjuush” Beck and Michel “ewjerkz” Pinto. Despite the new faces, NIP retained Artem “r1nkle” Moroz. Overall, the team has a solid combination and has a good chance of winning the StarLadder StarSeries 2025 prize pool.

B8

B8 has been inconsistent this year, with some great performances in lower-tier matches but disappointing ones in premier ones. The team has won some smaller regional events and is getting significant viewership numbers. There is a spark there, but whether it will ignite in StarLadder StarSeries 2025 remains to be seen.

How to Watch StarLadder StarSeries

Fans can watch StarLadder StarSeries 2025 on the official streaming channels:

• Kick 1
• Kick 2

History of StarLadder StarSeries

StarLadder is among the top esports tournament organizers. Founded in 2011, StarLadder quickly gained recognition thanks to its well-managed Counter-Strike events.

The first StarSeries event took place in 2012 and attracted top teams to participate. From 2012 to 2019, StarLadder hosted many Counter-Strike events. The organizer took a break after the 2019 Berlin Major and focused on other games.

StarLadder shifted its focus away from Counter-Strike and instead opted for games like PUBG and VALORANT. However, in 2025, the organizer is back with the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 Counter-Strike 2 events.

FAQs

When does StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 start?

StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 starts on Sunday, September 13, 2025.

Which teams are participating in StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025?

9INE, BetBoom, BIG, ECounter-StrikeTATIC, ENCE, fnatic, FUT, Iberian Soul, JiJieHao, Nemiga, Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG, PARIVISION, Passion UA, Spirit Academy, and TNL are among the announced teams.

What is the prize pool for StarLadder StarSeries 2025?

The StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 prize pool is $500,000 USD. Here’s the prize pool breakdown:

•‎ 1st Place: $200,000
•‎ 2nd Place: $130,000
•‎ 3rd Place: $70,000
•‎ 4th Place: $40,000
•‎ 5th–6th Place: $20,000
•‎ 7th–8th Place: $10,000

Where to watch StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 live?

Viewers can catch StarLadder StarSeries matches live on Kick.

How many teams qualify for StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025?

16 teams qualified for StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025, with eight teams advancing to the second round.

Where to buy tickets for StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025?

The StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 is an online-only event with no live audience matches. However, fans can purchase tickets for the StarLadder Major in Budapest directly from the official StarLadder website.