Hooch: “FURIA Enter the Budapest Major as Favorites — and That Brings Pressure”

CS2 analyst Dmitry “hooch” Bogdanov says FURIA are heading into the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 as one of the strongest contenders for the title — but warns that carrying the “favorite” label can bring additional pressure.

In a post on his Telegram channel, hooch praised FURIA’s impressive run of form, noting that “another trophy before the Major” puts the team in a position where they must shoulder heightened expectations. He emphasized how well the roster is playing at the moment and highlighted Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis, Danil “molodoy” Golubenko, and the Brazilian core for their standout performances.

Four Trophies in Two Months: FURIA’s Breakout Streak

Hooch’s comments followed FURIA’s triumph at BLAST Rivals Season 2 in Hong Kong, a Valve Wildcard event and one of the final stops before the Budapest Major.

The Brazilians took down Team Falcons 3–1 in an action-packed final, securing their fourth title in roughly two months — and their fourth consecutive series victory over Falcons, following earlier wins at IEM Cologne and other events.

In the semifinals, FURIA swept paiN Gaming 2–0, dominating Nuke 13–3 before closing out Overpass 16–12, earning their third straight BLAST Rivals grand final appearance.

Despite falling short, Falcons’ star Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov was awarded the tournament’s MVP, highlighting the level of competition surrounding FURIA during their dominant run.

Earlier in the season, FURIA had already established themselves as a world-class force with victories at the Thunderpick World Championship and IEM Chengdu 2025, results that positioned them as early favorites heading into Hong Kong and ultimately the Major.

“KSCERATO Monstro”: FalleN Praises His Star Rifler

Team captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo has repeatedly praised the squad’s chemistry and the growth of its key players. Speaking after a recent title run, he highlighted Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato’s dominant form, calling him “KSCERATO monstro” and describing him as “probably one of the best players on Overpass right now.”

FalleN also discussed his transition from primary AWPer to rifler-anchor and in-game leader. He said the shift was necessary because “the teams who are winning the most have AWPers playing out of their minds,” and FURIA needed a structure that better matched the demands of the current CS2 era.

The move allowed molodoy to assume full AWP duties while balancing the team’s firepower more effectively.

A Bold Project: How molodoy and YEKINDAR Transformed FURIA

FURIA’s rise into a true super-team began in April 2025, when the organization made two high-profile roster moves:

Danil “molodoy” Golubenko joined from AMKAL as the new main AWPer.

Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis arrived initially as a stand-in for multiple top-tier events.

The dual signing surprised much of the CS2 community, but the revamped roster immediately delivered promising results at PGL Astana.

The experiment proved so successful that FURIA later secured YEKINDAR on a permanent deal, solidifying a hybrid Brazilian–European lineup built for deep tournament runs.

YEKINDAR later admitted he was “shocked” by how well the team clicked in such a short time. In another interview, he emphasized how quickly FalleN recognized his strengths and said he would be open to staying with FURIA beyond the Major.

After winning IEM Chengdu, he reflected on his personal journey, saying it was “hard to believe this is happening after last year,” referring to the challenges he faced near the end of his time on Liquid.

Communication Across Three Languages: molodoy Explains the System

One of the biggest questions around FURIA’s international roster has been communication. The lineup currently includes:

three Brazilians: FalleN, yuurih, KSCERATO

two CIS players: YEKINDAR (Latvia), molodoy (Kazakhstan)

Molodoy explained in an interview that the team uses a multilingual system built from the very first practice. When he and YEKINDAR are the last alive, they switch entirely to Russian. The Brazilian trio do the same in Portuguese during their own clutch situations.

He added that there are “zero communication issues” and even joked that during a long tactical pause he once had to ask YEKINDAR to translate FalleN’s speech into Russian.

This seamless integration explains why hooch said he was particularly happy for “Mareks and molodoy” — the two international additions whose adaptation has clearly succeeded.

“Wrong Role for Eight Years”: YEKINDAR on FalleN’s Reinvention

YEKINDAR has also spoken openly about how the team’s style changed. In one interview, he joked that within FURIA, they often say FalleN “played the wrong role for eight years,” referencing his long history as a dedicated AWPer rather than a rifler-IGL.

This role swap, combined with adding a fearless young AWPer in molodoy, has created one of the most balanced and explosive rosters in the scene.

Yet YEKINDAR also warned against complacency. Reflecting on a shaky start at ESL Pro League, he admitted the team entered too relaxed after winning FPG 2 and needed to be “flamed” back into focus.

The Budapest Major: The “Main Tournament of the Year”

The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 will be the fourth CS2 Major and the final Valve-sponsored world championship of the season.

Event details:

Dates: November 24 – December 14, 2025

Prize pool: $1,250,000

Format: Three 16-team Swiss stages → eight-team single-elimination playoffs

Venue: Swiss stage at MTK Sportpark; playoffs at the MVM Dome, featuring the first ever best-of-five Major grand final

FURIA earned a direct invitation through the Valve Regional Standings and will represent the Americas alongside paiN and other regional teams.

The competition will feature top contenders such as Team Vitality, The MongolZ, G2, Team Spirit, Falcons, and more — making FURIA’s path far from straightforward.

From Brazil’s Last Hope to a Global Powerhouse

FURIA currently hold the #2 ranking in the world, reflecting an astonishing turnaround from their unstable early CS2 period.

With:

• a fully in-form roster (FalleN, yuurih, KSCERATO, YEKINDAR, molodoy),

• four titles secured in two months,

• and acknowledgment from analysts like hooch,

the team will enter the Budapest Major under more global scrutiny than ever before.

As hooch summed up, the team “is shining” right now — but being the favorite at the year’s biggest event brings a challenge of its own.

If FURIA can handle the pressure, Budapest may become the tournament where this ambitious international project finally claims a long-awaited Major trophy.