PGL Astana 2025: Teams, Format, Schedule, Results and More

The BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 wrapped up last night, with Team Vitality extending their dominant streak. Meanwhile, Team Falcons continue to surprise as the standout challenger, firmly establishing themselves as a genuine contender ahead of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025.

Now, the focus shifts to PGL Astana 2025, a crucial stop where the remaining teams will sharpen their strategies to rise up to the upcoming “major” challenge.  Starting May 10th, sixteen teams including top dogs like Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Aurora, and Natus Vincere will clash for the trophy in Vitality’s absence.

Teams and Format

As mentioned before, the tournament features 16 teams. These are as follows:

• Team Spirit
• The MongolZ 
• Aurora
• G2 Esports
• Natus Vincere
• Astralis
• paiN Gaming
• Virtus.pro
• GamerLegion
• FURIA
• BIG
• MIBR
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• M80
• ODDIK
• HOTU

These 16 teams will play a Swiss Stage to qualify for the Playoffs. The complete format for the tournament is as follows:

Swiss Stage

• Teams play a 16-team Swiss bracket
• All Bo3 matches
• Top 8 team qualify for the Playoffs

Playoffs

• 8 team single-elimination bracket
• Bo5 Grand finals; all other fixtures are Bo3

Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan will host the Playoffs.

Schedule, Results, and Where to Watch

The tournament spans 9 days and starts May 10th with the first stage of competition. The complete schedule for the tournament is as follows:

• Saturday, May 10th:
  

• • • 07:00 am CET - Swiss Stage Round 1
• Sunday, May 11th:
  • • 07:00 am CET - Swiss Stage Round 2

• Monday, May 12th: 

• • • 07:00 am CET - Swiss Stage Round 3

• Tuesday, May 13th: 

• • • 07:00 am CET - Swiss Stage Round 4

• Wednesday, May 14th: 

• • • 07:00 am CET - Swiss Stage Round 5

• Friday, May 16th: 

• • • 07:00 am CET - Quarterfinals #1
    • 10:00 am CET - Quarterfinals #2
    • 01:00 pm CET - Quarterfinals #3
    • 04:00 pm CET - Quarterfinals #4

• Saturday, May 17th: 

• • • 10:00 am CET - Semifinals #1
    • 02:00 pm CET - Semifinals #2

• Sunday, May 18th: 

• • 10:00 am CET - Third Place finisher
  • 02:00 pm CET - Grand Finals

Follow the tournament on Strafe for personalised schedule, live scores, and the latest results. 

The Swiss Stage games will be broadcasted simultaneously on the primary and the secondary channels.

Catch the live action on the following channels:

• Primary
  • Twitch | YouTube | Kick
• Secondary
  • Twitch | YouTube | Kick

Preparing for the Major

With the rosters for the Austin Major already locked in, PGL Astana along with IEM Dallas will be the last chance for teams to finalize their game plan before they head into the final battle.

While the prize pool at PGL Astana is enticing, every team attending the upcoming Austin Major will use this tournament as an opportunity to perfect their strategies.

Team Spirit and Natus Vincere will focus on correcting the mistakes that have crept into their game and use Astana as a testing ground to try out new tactics in hopes of going into the Major as serious threats to Vitality’s dominance.

Aurora and The MongolZ will aim to iron out the minor issues that are holding them back from reaching the very top. For The MongolZ especially, this tournament offers the perfect stage to shake off the nerves that have often prevented them from performing at their absolute best.

The tournament will also see the debut of G2 Esports without m0NESY, Astralis with HooXi, and the international version of FURIA.

G2 arguably faces the most pressure, especially after the revelations made by m0NESY. While hades may not be a direct replacement, he could prove to be a strong fit for the squad.

FURIA’s performance will be under the microscope as Brazilian fans closely watch how the team fares after going international.

For Astralis, Astana could very well be a make-or-break moment for the organization. With reports swirling around the team’s future, a poor finish with HooXi might be the final straw for the organization.

The remaining teams, including GamerLegion, Virtus.pro and paiN Gaming, will also look to refine their game plan before making the trip to the USA.

Despite the big names missing from the tournament, PGL Astana will not be without its fair share of intense action, drama and amazing Counter-Strike!

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So don't forget to check out Strafe Esports for all the latest Counter Strike 2 news and our X account for the latest content and coverages.

Also, stay tuned to Strafe YouTube for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and more.

Featured Image Credits: PGL

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