In a major shake-up, Valve has scrapped the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) for the upcoming StarLadder Budapest Major — just days after the qualification schedule was announced. Instead, all 32 teams competing in the year’s second CS2 Major will be decided purely by the Valve Regional Standings.
The decision comes hot on the heels of StarLadder revealing MRQ dates for October 16–19. But backlash quickly followed — the qualifiers were set to clash with at least four other major CS2 events, leaving teams in a brutal position: skip tournaments or risk missing out on the Major.
MRQs usually give underdog teams a chance to break through with strong qualifier runs, as seen earlier this year during the BLAST.tv Austin Major, where several rising squads made headlines. Now, with VRS as the sole path to Budapest, consistency over the 2025 season just became more crucial than ever.
Valve confirmed that team invites for the Budapest Major will be sent on October 8, meaning squads must rely entirely on their standings to lock in their spot. For teams sitting just outside the top 32, the pressure is on to climb before that cut-off.
