A massive $1.25 million prize pool, world-class production, and fantastic Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams competing are just some reasons to get hyped for PGL Astana 2025. It’s an S-Tier LAN event following up on the success of PGL Bucharest, and it promises a week of unmissable action.
To prepare for the excitement, we’ve compiled a complete guide to AGL Astana 2025 for CS2 esports fans to digest. Let’s discuss the schedule, format, prize pool distribution, teams, and our very own expert betting predictions.
PGL Astana 2025 Schedule & Format
PGL Astana 2025 runs from May 10 to 18 and features two stages of competition. The action begins with the Group Stage (May 10 to 14), where all 16 teams will compete in a giant Swiss System Format group from the capital city of Kazakhstan. All matches are best-of-three, with the top eight teams proceeding to the Playoffs Stage, while the rest are eliminated.
The top eight teams will compete in the Playoffs Stage (May 16 to 18) in front of a live crowd at the Barys Arena venue in Astana. In the final stage, teams must overcome the single-elimination bracket, where the Grand Final is best-of-five, and all other matches are best-of-three.
At PGL Astana 2025, we will be treated to one more Playoffs Stage match than usual, with a third-place decider scheduled for May 18, before the start of the Grand Final.
Visit our comprehensive CS2 betting section for all the details, including the match start times for your area.
Prize Pool Distribution
The table below outlines how much money each team stands to make at PGL Astana 2025.
| Place | Prize Money | Club Reward |
| 1st | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| 2nd | $93,750 | $93,750 |
| 3rd | $75,000 | $75,000 |
| 4th | $43,750 | $43,750 |
| 5th-8th | $31,250 | $31,250 |
| 9th-11th | $15,625 | $15,625 |
| 12th-14th | $9,375 | $9,375 |
| 15th/16th | $6,250 | $6,250 |
| Totals | $1,250,000 | |
How To Watch PGL Astana 2025
The perfect place to watch and enjoy all the PGL Astana 2025 action is right here! At Thunderpick, you can visit our CS2 betting section, navigate to the “Live” tab, and select any match you want to watch. An official live stream and our bet slip will appear, allowing you to place in-play wagers.
You can also visit the PGL Twitch and YouTube channels to watch the entire tournament.
Teams Competing In PGL Astana 2025
PGL invited 12 teams based on their rankings in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) Global on March 25, 2025. Another four squads made their way through regional qualifiers to round out the competitors’ list. Below is a list of all 16 teams competing at PGL Astana 2025.
- Team Spirit (VRS)
- The MongolZ (VRS)
- Aurora Gaming (VRS)
- G2 Esports (VRS)
- Natus Vincere (VRS)
- Astralis (VRS)
- paiN Gaming (VRS)
- Virtus.pro (VRS)
- GamerLegion (VRS)
- FURIA Esports (VRS)
- BIG (VRS)
- MIBR (VRS)
- Ninjas in Pyjamas (European Qualifier)
- M80 (North American Qualifier)
- ODDIK (South American Qualifier)
- HOTU (Asian Qualifier)
Our Predictions For PGL Astana 2025
We hit the nail on the head with our PGL Bucharest 2025 predictions for the top two, with Team Falcons lifting the trophy in Romania. With Team Vitality, MOUZ, and Team Falcons not in attendance, the PGL Astana trophy is ripe for the taking.
To make our predictions, we considered the players’ form, team stats, matchup histories, the latest global rankings, and results from recent S-Tier events such as PGL Bucharest, IEM Melbourne, and BLAST Rivals Season 1.
Important note: Our analysis of PGL Astana 2025 should not be seen as betting advice to act upon. Past performances do not guarantee future results. Always gamble responsibly.
Team Spirit
Team Spirit is on a roll thanks in part to young superstar and 2024 Player of the Year, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets. They have been a nearly unstoppable force whenever they compete on LAN. The squad is the highest-ranked at PGL Astana 2025, ranked 2nd in the HLTV World Rankings and 4th by Valve. They won BLAST Bounty Season 1, and placed 2nd at IEM Katowice this year, followed by three 3rd/4th place finishes at EPL S21, BLAST Open Lisbon, and BLAST Rivals Season 1.
Only a handful of teams can challenge Team Spirit, including Vitality, MOUZ, and Falcons. But none of them will be at PGL Astana 2025, leaving the door open for Spirit.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotja
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
The MongolZ
Nine of the top 10 teams (VRS and HLTV World Rankings) hail from Europe, with one exception. This Mongolian squad sits proudly in 7th place on the leaderboards, representing the Asian region with vigor. At the most recent S-Tier event (IEM Melbourne) that the squad attended, they impressed the crowd, reverse-sweeping Team Liquid in the Quarterfinals.
Despite The MongolZ suffering a 2-0 loss against Team Vitality, it is worth noting that Dan “apEX” Madesclaire’s men are on a historic 25-match win streak. From what we’ve seen recently, the team is in top form—primed and ready to make it to a Grand Final.
The MongolZ roster:
- Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold
- Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch
- Ayush “mzinho” Batbold
- Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold
- Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (IGL)
- Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat (Coach)
Aurora Gaming
The Turkish powerhouse is ranked 6th on HLTV and 7th in the VRS, climbing into the top ten at the start of the year. They then cemented their spot with respectable placements at IEM Katowice (5th-6th), EPL S21 (5th-8th), and PGL Bucharest (5th-8th).
With incredible firepower on the server thanks to star rifler XANTARES, Aurora Gaming could make it to a podium finish. In case you’ve missed it, Aurora Gaming acquired the entire Eternal Fire roster on April 5, 2025.
Aurora Gaming roster:
- İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
- Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın
- Özgür “woxic” Eker
- Samet “jottAAA” Köklü
- Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli (IGL)
- Sezgin “Fabre” Kalaycı (Coach)
NAVI
Natus Vincere is Latin for “born to win.” The squad, led by Aleksib, lived up to the name in 2024, lifting multiple S-Tier trophies while staying firmly in the top three global rankings. In 2025, however, NAVI has seen less success. The squad is in 5th on HLTV’s World Rankings, and 11th in the VRS.
If the headshot machine known as b1t can find his form, and w0nderful can do enough damage with his trusty AWP, we predict NAVI will make it deep at PGL Astana 2025.
NAVI roster:
- Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj
- Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
- Mihai “iM” Ivan
- Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov
- Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen (IGL)
- Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj (Coach)
Honorable mentions go to Astralis and G2 Esports. It will be interesting to see how G2 Esports performs without young superstar Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, who recently parted ways with the organization to join Team Falcons. Astralis recently benched IGL Casper “cadiaN” Møller, and it remains to be seen if the move will pay off.
Final Thoughts On PGL Astana 2025
From a beautiful venue to world-class presenters, some of the best teams, and a huge prize pool, PGL Astana 2025 has it all. The event is shaping up to be an unmissable experience for all CS2 esports fans. From favorites such as Team Spirit, ready to prove they belong at the top of the global rankings, to past Major Championship winners such as NAVI and Astralis looking to regain their form on the server, there are simply so many storylines ready to unfold.
You can follow every second of the top-tier esports action here at Thunderpick. Visit our CS2 betting page to start watching live streams while enjoying placing wagers on any PGL Astana 2025 matches with your preferred cryptocurrency. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun!
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