Pick’Em Challenge Guide: Counter-Strike 2 BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 Playoffs

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

16 Jun

Ganesh Jadhav

The last stage of the BLAST.tv Austin Major is here. Up until this point, the Major has been anything but predictable. While the first two stages were surprising, the Stage 3 surpassed them in every way.

That said, the games don’t stop. Starting Thursday, June 19th, the remaining eight teams will take each other on in Bo3 matches until one team completes the list of challenges and is crowned the Austin Major 2025 Champion.

Austin Major 2025: Playoffs Pick’Em Challenge guide

Unlike the previous stages, the Playoffs Pick’Ems are straightforward. The objective is to correctly predict the complete bracket. The final Pick’Ems also feature three challenges.

Place two correct Pick’Em predictions for the Quarterfinals
Place one correct prediction for the Semifinals
Make a correct prediction for Grand Final

To choose an outcome, you have to drag and drop the teams to go through each round.

For the Austin Major 2025, the Playoffs bracket starts with four Quarterfinal fixtures. These are as follows:

We will choose the outcome based on the historical data and the team's performance at the Major. While upsets will always be part of the competition, our picks will be based on the most likely outcomes of the match-up.

With everything said, here are our picks for the Playoffs Pick’Em Challenge:

Strafe Picks - Austin Major 2025 Pick'Em Challenge Playoffs (credit: Valve)

Explanation:

Based on their form and their run before the Major, choosing Team Vitality is the safest bet. The team has looked indomitable throughout the year and has won 6/7 tournaments they have participated in.

For the upper side of the bracket, FaZe Clan’s resurgence with s1mple and their ability to continuously adapt and make extraordinary plays under immense pressure makes them a favorite to make it through to the Grand Final in our eyes.

Stay tuned as we bring you the individual fixture previews and how we think these will play out.

Follow BLAST on X for the latest update on the Major. You can also follow the tournament on Strafe.

For the latest Counter-Strike news and guides, follow Strafe Esports. Also, check out our X account for real-time content and coverage.

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