The Final Day of the Quarterfinals at the Budapest Major: Upsets, Crushed Dreams, and Faze Magic
With the quarterfinals of the Budapest Major in the books, the playoff picture has already been turned upside down. Dreams were shattered, favorites fell, and once again the Major reminded us why it’s the most unforgiving stage in Counter-Strike.
Upset of the Tournament
We start with what is unquestionably the upset of the tournament.
FURIA entered Budapest as the undisputed best team in the world. Three consecutive titles. A flawless 3-0 run through Stage 3. They weren’t just winning, they were steamrolling everyone in their path. Terrifying aim, relentless pace, and a roster firing on all cylinders.
And then they drew NaVi.
History didn’t exactly favor the Ukrainian org. The last time these teams met in a best-of-five, FURIA completed a brutal reverse sweep after falling down 0-2. Their most recent clash? The opening match of the Major itself, where FURIA erased NaVi from the server with a clinical 13-2. Fallen and his band of spunky youngsters barely broke a sweat.
But Major playoffs are a different beast.
NaVi came out swinging. Blad3 and AleksiB had clearly done their homework, and from the opening rounds it showed. Every aggressive FURIA push was anticipated. Every attempt to take space was punished. The individual brilliance that had defined FURIA’s run evaporated under NaVi’s structure and discipline.
Mirage slipped away 13-5. Inferno started down the same path.
To their credit, FURIA refused to roll over. Fallen dragged them back into the series with veteran composure, capped by an absurd 1v3 clutch that needs to be seen to be believed. Against the odds, FURIA clawed back Inferno and forced a decider.
At that point, the script seemed obvious. The number one team in the world shakes off the nerves and closes it out.
Except reality doesn’t care about scripts.
Molodoy, the near-lock for Rookie of the Year, never found his footing. Missed shots piled up. Confidence vanished. The Kazakhstani AWPer simply couldn’t recover, and outside of a handful of heroic moments from KSCERATO, FURIA had no answers on Train.
When the dust settled, NaVi dismantled the favorites 13-3 on the final map. FURIA - hands-down title favorites - were gone. Molodoy finished the series with a 0.81 rating, one of his worst showings since joining the roster, and he wasn’t alone in struggling.
Sleepless nights await FURIA’s young core.
As for NaVi, they’re back in the Major semifinals once again. The last time they stood here, they lifted the trophy. The question now is simple: is this the start of another championship run, or just another chapter in a playoff miracle that refuses to end?
FaZe Bullshit on Full Display
Next, we have to talk about the miracle that is FaZe Clan.
Since CS2’s release, FaZe has somehow turned every Major into must-watch chaos. Two grand finals in the last three Majors, and now they’re chasing a third appearance in four, despite entering Budapest in shambles.
Back-to-back tournament flops. An 18th-place world ranking. Fans calling for broky and rookie jcobbb to be benched. Even in Stage 1, FaZe struggled against teams expected to roll over. At one point, they were less than half a second from elimination.
And then they remembered who they were.
FaZe made the stage again, but that alone meant nothing. The last time they got here, the magic vanished. Even with s1mple standing in for broky and dominating groups, FaZe collapsed under the playoff lights. So the question loomed: was this another false dawn, or would the return of Twistzz finally change the story?
They answered immediately on Nuke.
Broky exploded. After months of inconsistency, he played like a man who only shows up for Major playoffs, finishing 16-5 on the T side with a 2.03 rating and dragging FaZe to a 9-3 start. MOUZ clawed back to 11-9, but a single chaotic yard round flipped the map. Broky found two openings, torzsi awped his own teammate, and MOUZ were forced into a save. FaZe closed it out.
Inferno was supposed to be MOUZ’s comfort pick.
Instead, FaZe unleashed the voodoo.
Broky stayed hot with a 1.73 rating, Twistzz showed everyone why he came back, posting a 1.93, and frozen put up an ice-cold 2.17. Even torzsi’s 1.42 wasn’t enough. MOUZ managed just two rounds on the map. Torzsi finished with 16 kills; his four teammates combined for 17.
Heartbreak followed. No trophy on home soil. No fairy-tale run. As FaZe closed in on the semifinals, the Budapest crowd turned, chanting “Send them home” while FaZe marched on - straight into a familiar showdown with NaVi.
Because of course they did.
A Look at the Semis
With FURIA out, the Major is wide open, and every remaining team has a legitimate claim to the trophy.
Will donk dominate his second Major in just two years? Can Vitality cement a true dynasty as the first back-to-back Major champions since Astralis? Will Blad3 guide a third NaVi roster to a Major title and solidify himself as the greatest coach of all time? Or will FaZe, somehow, bullshit their way to the trophy once again?
Spirit vs Vitality
ZywOo versus donk. It doesn’t get bigger than that.
With FURIA gone, a Vitality win here all but stamps the dynasty label. NaVi haven’t beaten the French squad all year, and FaZe have only managed a single best-of-one. In every best-of-three, Vitality has come out on top.
But Spirit are anything but a free pass.
They arrive off a massive win over Falcons after losing nine straight to them, and donk continues to post the highest rating at the event - though ZywOo closed the gap with his dismantling of The MongolZ. The two best players in the world are on a collision course, and we’re not even in the Grand Finals yet
If there’s one match that could decide Player of the Year, this is it. Does ZywOo replicate his quarterfinal form and continue their win streak against Spirit? Or does donk’s rifle overwhelm Vitality’s system and give his team their first victory over the French organization all year?
Natus Vincere vs FaZe Clan
A rivalry that needs no introduction.
Two of Counter-Strike’s most storied organizations. Two teams more accustomed to meeting in Grand Finals than semifinals. The last two times they crossed paths on a Major stage, both walked away with a trophy - FaZe at PGL Antwerp 2022, and NaVi at PGL Copenhagen 2024.
This time, both arrive as unlikely contenders. Both are former champions playing without their Major MVPs - FaZe without rain, NaVi without jL. And both looked dominant in the quarterfinals.
So the questions write themselves.
Can broky sustain his sudden playoff form? Will w0nderful continue to outshine elite AWPers? Is FaZe magic enough? Or will NaVi’s structure finally shut it down?
One of these teams moves within touching distance of another Major title.
Who blinks first?
This IS the Greatest Timeline
The final day of the Budapest Major quarterfinals was a reminder of why now is the best time to be a Counter-Strike fan. The world’s best team fell apart under pressure. A supposed underdog remembered who they were. Heroes emerged, favorites collapsed, and once again the Major refused to follow the script.
FURIA’s elimination cracked the tournament wide open, ending a run that looked inevitable and proving - yet again - that dominance means nothing once the playoff lights turn on. NaVi’s composure and preparation sent a message to the rest of the field, while FaZe’s latest act of playoff chaos showed that no matter how shaky they look coming in, they are never truly out of a Major.
And now, we’re left with a semifinal lineup built entirely on legacy, firepower, and unfinished business.
Spirit versus Vitality gives us the clash everyone’s been waiting for: donk against ZywOo, the future against the present, in a match that could define the player of the year before the Grand Final even begins. On the other side, NaVi and FaZe meet once more on Major soil, two former champions, stripped of their MVPs, yet somehow standing closer to another title than anyone expected.
This is what the Major does best. It turns narratives upside down, forges legends under pressure, and delivers moments that no other tournament can replicate.
Two matches remain before the Grand Final. Two chances to prove that belief, preparation, or sheer bullshit is enough to survive.
Buckle up.