Playoffs Prediction for BLAST Austin Major!

We are merely days away from one of the most anticipated moments in the entire CS2 calendar, the BLAST Austin Major. Three stages are lined up, leading to the playoffs. Stage 1 will feature 16 teams, out of which 8 will make it to the following step. Stage 2 already features 8 teams pre-qualified via the VRS ranking system. These 8 teams will battle it out against the promoted teams from stage 1. Same system, same rules, for Stage 3, until there were only eight left. Our challenge in this article is to predict which teams will make it to the final step, the playoffs. If some choices feel inevitable, you will see that, as the list progresses, there's room for debate! 

Vitality - Who else?

If you’ve been around the Counter-Strike world for years, you might remember the back-to-back-to-back Major victories of Astralis in 2018-2019. At the time, this cemented the strongest era in our game. Well, in Austin, Vitality’s victory is expected (demanded) at even a higher level than it was the case for Astralis in those days. 30 series won in a row, culminating in six titles throughout 2025, Vitality have made history. With this achievement comes a superhuman degree of pressure. The contract is simple, anything but a title in Austin will be a failure. The community is ready for it too. Everybody is locked on Vitality, ready to see them falter, fail and crumble. Needless to say, genuine excitement should arrive in the playoffs. There should be no universe in which Vitality does not make it to the final eight. The BO1’s might be a little tricky to manoeuver but as soon as BO3’s take their rightful place, it would be unacceptable for Vitality to miss the arena. 

Falcons - One last hurrah

It took Falcons a couple of splashy signings to claim their place at the top but they succeeded. The arrival of NiKo and, later m0NESY, have established the team as a genuine top 2-3 contender in the world. The results have picked up immediately and if it wasn’t for these damned Vitality, the trophy cabinet would be full already. As a matter of fact, in three competitions in a row (Melbourne, Copenhagen and Dallas), Vitality have eliminated Falcons, twice in a Grand Final and once in a semi-final. The battle in Australia specifically was arguably the best game that Counter-Strike gave us in 2025 so far. Now, Falcons find themselves in a strange situation. On one hand, they are on the brink of overtaking Vitality and considering the amount of pressure that will be on the shoulders of their rivals, Austin might just be the best opportunity. On the other, rumours and rumbles talk about the young talent kyousuke set to join the team after the Major. What kind of impact will this have on the group? Is the decision already made or could an overperformance from Magisk reshuffle the cards? We do not have the answer to that question. In any case, not only will Falcons make the playoffs but they might also have a legitimate shot at the title. 

Spirit - Donk or nothing

Is something wrong with Spirit or are we fabulating and exaggerating? This feels like a valid question at the moment. We still remember the day donk and his crew took the world by storm in Katowice, in 2024, and triumphed fantastically in one of the most famous arenas we have in Counter-Strike. They still harbour the second best player in the world, donk, and his reliable right hand sh1ro, putting up numbers day in day out. Still, in 2025, they have fallen to MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Vitality and Falcons, the list a lot longer than what it should be. The trophy in Astana came at the right time in terms of momentum and confidence. They went under the radar ever since, preparing for the BLAST Austin Major. The kyousuke debate has probably made ripples and waves in their camp indirectly. Voices in the community talked about the inability to secure the young talent’s service for the future. Was there a will to make a roster change? If yes, who would have been benched? It’s complicated to gauge correctly what state of mind Spirit is as a team currently. The sheer firepower of this roster should nevertheless guarantee a position in the playoffs. Anything else would be a disaster. 

MOUZ - As always

Ah, the gatekeepers. You might have thought that lifting the trophy in Cluj-Napoca earlier this year had been a key transformational moment for MOUZ. Finally, they were capable of winning this elusive last game. Unfortunately, it seems as though we have regressed towards the mean. Do not get us wrong, the MOUZ roster has talent and skill all across the board. Spinx, the latest addition, has comfortably found his zone within his new team. His numbers are more than acceptable and he’s consistent in his input. Their sniper, torzsi, has repeatedly taken over games and carried his squads with MVP-like performances throughout the year. The issue for MOUZ has been their inability to defeat Falcons & Vitality in playoffs. Whether in semi-finals or in grand finals, the obstacle, on stage, seems too tall. That being said, MOUZ notoriously never struggled in earlier stages of an event and we do not expect Austin to be any different. Their level is usually deafening during group stage, an environment in which they feel free to take risks and go through the motions that make them such a scary team. They should be in the playoffs. 

The MongolZ - A necessary confirmation

Now that the inevitable four are behind us, the playoffs list gets spicy. When it comes to the MongolZ, qualifying to the playoffs in Austin seems like a logical next step. Out of 8 events in 2025, they have made the playoffs 6 times. That’s a fabulous ratio. This year has been the theater of the establishment, without the shadow of a doubt, of The MongolZ at the elite table. In a world of ever changing rosters across the scene, we should remind ourselves that this line-up has been together for more than a year and a half now, Senzu being their latest addition (and a terrific one at that!). If the discourse about The MongolZ usually revolved around growth, experience and needing time, all of these factors must now come together at the most important event of the year. Their status has changed. Making the playoffs would not be a surprise anymore, but missing them would be a failure. 

Natus Vincere - A Major to survive

How quickly things change in Counter-Strike is part of its charm. If 2024 was the year of Natus Vincere, in which they displayed remarkable consistency, their success has not followed them through the following year. IEM Rio 2024 was their last trophy and there hasn’t even been any opportunity for titles since. NaVi have decayed outside of the top4 of CS, seemingly a clear step behind the likes of Vitality, Falcons, Spirit and MOUZ. For this constellation of players, Austin is the last chance. We believe the future of this line-up depends exclusively on the potential success of their adventures in Texas. Running a diagnostics on what’s wrong in Natus Vincere is a complicated affair. They’ve always “won by committee” without an undebatable super carry. As such, pointing the finger to one player only seems foolish. They keep to themselves and do not overly share about the issues they are facing. We’re left wondering, if changes happen, who would be affected? In any case, when it comes to the playoffs of Austin, Natus Vincere must be able to rely on their fundamentals. They’ve famously been a strict, rigorous and disciplined team, following the principles of Blad3 and Aleksib on their path to success. That alone has to be enough to separate themselves from the crop. 

FaZe - The s1mple factor

There used to be a time in which listing FaZe in a playoffs prediction was utter common sense, nothing to write home about. Nowadays the situation has drastically changed. It’s a risk, plain and simple. Forgive us the word play, s1mple’s debut at IEM Dallas was sadly underwhelming. We have to take into account the absence of rain, struggles that skullz went through as a stand-in and the lack of practice with s1mple. Our prediction in this case has two main premises. Firstly, we believe that rain’s presence will have a massive impact on FaZe, not only through sheer fragging (and he’s been known to step up during Majors) but mostly because of his decision making and ability to make the team feel comfortable around him. Secondly, s1mple should be much stronger in Austin. The future of his career is on the line. Here’s to hoping the former best player in the world used their bootcamp in the U.S. to catch up individually as much as possible. The eye-test in Dallas wasn’t great, but we believe. Do you? 

Liquid - The survival instinct

Liquid is without a doubt the most debatable pick of our entire list. Many different names could claim this final spot, such as Aurora, Heroic, G2 or even 3DMAX. The reason we decided to go for Liquid is mostly psychological. We believe that some of the individuals in this roster are fighting for their contract in Austin. Lurking at the entrance of the very top level, in an international line-up, part of an organisation with certain financial means, Liquid’s management has every reason in the world to consider changes if things do not go their way at the Major. Specifically, both NAF and ultimate could very well play their last tournament if they are unable to deliver a better Counter-Strike than they have so far. Keith “NAF” Markovic even addressed the issue publicly in an interview (link to add) recently. You could even take the problem the other way around and discuss whether figures like Twistzz or siuhy could be the target of the likes of Natus Vincere or FaZe in the aftermath. This team is under attack from every angle and its survival relies solely on finding success in Austin. In a game where the extra 5% can make a huge difference, we believe this will be the case during BLAST and Liquid could create the upset, making their way to the playoffs. 

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