NAVI vs FaZe StarLadder Budapest Major: Best odds and picks
The final stage before the grand finals at the StarLadder Budapest Major will see NAVI face FaZe Clan after both teams have bested event favorites in the quarterfinals, and the odds reflect a semifinal picture that is wide open, giving bettors little margin for error.
| Match | NAVI vs FaZe |
|---|---|
| Start time | December 14, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Betting favorite | NAVI |
| Our pick | NAVI to win 2-0 @ 1.62 odds |
The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 quarterfinals have blown up Pick’Em predictions for many, catching safe bettors off guard while rewarding those who leaned into risk. While a few favorites did their job, the upsets have set up an unexpected FaZe vs NAVI match-up. Bettors will need to be far more careful if they want to finish the Major in the green.
NAVI vs FaZe match overview
- Tournament: StarLadder Budapest Major 2025
- Stage: Semifinal
- Game: Counter-Strike 2
- Format: Best-of-three
NAVI reaches the semifinals after accomplishing what no top-10 team managed across the last two S-tier events: knocking FURIA out of a tournament. Backed by a flawless 3-0 run in stage 2 and that statement win over FURIA, NAVI enters this match-up with leverage, leaving little doubt about who holds the edge in the series.
Our NAVI vs FaZe pick: Total maps to be under 2.5 @ 1.82 odds.
NAVI vs FaZe match analysis
Neither FaZe nor NAVI entered the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 as outright favorites, according to pre-playoff betting odds. Their runs to the semifinals have therefore caught many bettors off guard, especially considering both were priced as underdogs in their quarterfinals. With those upsets behind them, both NAVI and FaZe have shown they can realistically take this series.
NAVI enters with a potential psychological edge after taking down FURIA, a team that had remained unbeaten since BLAST Rivals Fall 2025. Breaking that streak first gives NAVI a significant confidence boost heading into this series.
FaZe CS2 players
FaZe did manage to eliminate MOUZ, but the gap between the two sides was never particularly wide, and a fair share of esports betting sites backed FaZe to begin with. NAVI, by contrast, entered as a true dark horse at very low odds compared to FURIA’s 2.40. The team now looks far more cohesive, effectively executing Andrii “B1ad3” Gorodenskyi’s game plans. Early in the series versus FURIA, Mihai “iM” Ivan struggling to get rolling, and with him contributing more heavily as the match moved along, NAVI only looks scarier.
Compared to NAVI’s more evenly distributed firepower across iM, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, and Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov, FaZe relies far more heavily on Helvijs “broky” Saukants to carry the load. Unless Finn “karrigan” Andersen and FaZe’s leadership can outmaneuver NAVI in the map veto, especially given how different the two teams’ map pools are, it’s difficult to see FaZe walking away with even a single game here.
NAVI’s map pool may be narrower than FaZe’s, but the team appears more refined on niche picks including Train and Ancient. That edge already proved decisive against FURIA, where the series came down to Train, and if this match-up follows a similar path, NAVI would once again be favored to close it out.
Key stats
| Stats | NAVI | FaZe | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map win rate | 57% | 60% | FaZe |
| Round winrate | 51% | 52% | FaZe |
| Pistol round winrate | 54% | 62% | FaZe |
NAVI vs FaZe betting odds snapshot
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| FaZe to win | 2.40 |
| NAVI to win | 1.62 |
| Total maps under 2.5 | 1.82 |
CS2 betting odds as of December 12.
NAVI vs FaZe picks and predictions
FaZe Clan should be able to put up a respectable fight, but NAVI remains the clear favorite to close the series with a 2-0 result. FaZe would likely need all of its firepower to show up just to contest a map, and even then, that may be the limit. With Drin “Makazze” Shaqiri posting unexpected rating of 2.23, NAVI appears to have yet another reliable source of damage alongside its established core, making the match an uphill battle for FaZe.
NAVI vs FaZe prediction
Our NAVI vs FaZe prediction: NAVI to win 2-0 @ 1.62 odds via Stake.
Featured image credit: HLTV
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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