StarLadder StarSeries Budapest LAN group stage replaced with online qualifier

The tournament organizer will streamline its event in order to "minimize scheduling conflicts."

StarLadder has announced that the LAN group stage portion of StarLadder Starseries Budapest, as well as the North America, South America and Europe qualifiers, are set to be replaced with a single online European closed qualifier. StarLadder claim to have received approval from Valve regarding the changes.

The tournament organizer has stated the move is intended to "minimize scheduling conflicts with other CS2 tournaments, streamline operations, and ensure a high level of competition at the playoffs stage."

This is not the first time StarLadder have adjusted their plans for their tournaments in 2025, having cancelled an event earlier this year due to the extended timeline for the Austin Major.

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The newly minted EU qualifier will take place August 13-17 and feature 16 teams invited via the Europe VRS. The teams will be split into four groups of four, and play out a GSL-style BO3 group stage. The top two teams from each group progress to the BO3 qualification matches, where the winners of said matches progress to the main event.

StarLadder StarSeries Budapest's main event remains unchanged, and will run September 18-21. The four qualified teams will join four teams invited via Global VRS, and will play out a double-elimination BO3 bracket to determine the winner.