PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 preview: A new team’s time to shine?

PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is the latest stop on the Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 event calendar, giving teams another chance to prove their worth in a LAN environment.

16 teams from September’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS) have accepted an invitation to compete at the event taking place at the PGL Studios in Bucharest, Romania, from October 24th to November 1st.

With several notable names in attendance, PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is set to be an opportunity for teams to start building momentum before attention turns to November’s Budapest Major.

Following Legacy‘s triumph at the CS Asia Championship 2025, the Brazilian esports organisation has cemented itself as one of South America’s hottest prospects.

As the team continues to build Tier 1 event experience, Bucharest acts as an excellent opportunity to compete against others that have also earned their place at next month’s Major.

Legacy begins its Bucharest campaign with a CAC rematch against Team Liquid, another team that has started to find its feet following the arrival of Jonathan ‘ELiGE‘ Jablonowski.

Following consecutive top-six finishes at IEM Melbourne and IEM Dallas, GamerLegion seems to have transformed into one of Europe’s strongest teams.

However, a string of top-16 placements has seen the team’s form drop significantly ahead of its Masters Bucharest appearance.

The addition of Milan ‘hypex‘ Polowiec into the AWPer role has yet to yield the results expected of a team that was embarking on a trajectory towards the very top of the rankings.

GamerLegion faces off against FlyQuest in its opening Group Stage match. On paper, GamerLegion should best the Australian side, but if recent form is anything to go by, the Australians could begin their tournament on the front foot.

Having shown glimpses of brilliance since acquiring the former Eternal Fire roster, Aurora Gaming heads into Masters Bucharest with the highest VRS ranking of the teams in attendance.

Since finishing second at the Esports World Cup 2025, the team has struggled to find consistency within its Tier 1 appearances, scoring a top-eight placement at FISSURE Playground 2, a top eleven at ESL Pro League, and fourth at the Thunderpick World Championship.

PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is the final event before Aurora Gaming heads to Budapest for the Major. A strong performance in Bucharest could act as a catalyst for a strong end to a turbulent 2025 season.

Aurora Gaming faces off against Fragadelphia Blocktober champions Fnatic in its first match of the event.

With several closely matched teams competing at the event, the Group Stage has the potential to be an exciting prospect. The top eight teams will advance to the Playoffs for a chance to compete for the lion’s share of the $625,000 (~£484,549) prize pool.

Based on recent form, Esports Insider expects the following teams to secure a Playoff place:

Legacy’s recent victory puts the Brazilians in a prime position to add a second trophy to its cabinet, while Team Liquid aims to score its first Tier 1 win since 2019.

Considering the highly competitive nature of the eight predicted teams competing, predicting an outright winner is a difficult task. Taking recent form into account, it wouldn’t be surprising to see 3DMAX and Legacy battling it out once more.

Predicted PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 winner: Legacy