FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere fill out semis at StarLadder Budapest Major

FaZe Clan swept MOUZ and Natus Vincere got past FURIA in the two remaining quarterfinal matches at the StarLadder Budapest Major on Friday in Hungary.

FaZe and NaVi will square off in the semifinals Saturday, with Team Spirit and Team Vitality playing the other semi first. Those four are the last ones standing as they battle for a $500,000 grand prize at the three-week tournament.

Thirty-two teams began play in the $1.25 million Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event, which featured three consecutive Swiss System stages ahead of the playoffs.

Sixteen teams competed in each Swiss System stage. Eight invited teams started in Stage 2, and eight more got a bye into Stage 3. In each Swiss System stage, elimination and advancement matches were best-of-three and all others were best-of-one.

The tournament concludes with a single-elimination playoff stage. All matches are best-of-three until Sunday's grand final, which is best-of-five. The winner will take home $500,000.

On Friday, FaZe defeated MOUZ 13-11 on Nuke before running away with a 13-2 triumph on Inferno. Helvijs "broky" Saukants of Latvia powered FaZe with 40 kills on a plus-23 kills-deaths differential.

Natus Vincere opened with a 13-5 victory on Mirage, but FURIA fought back and won 16-13 in overtime on Inferno. The final map was Train, where NaVi cruised to a 13-3 win. Romania's Mihai "iM" Ivan posted a game-high 52 kills on a plus-13 differential to lead NaVi.

The tournament continues Saturday with the semifinals:

--Team Spirit vs. Team Vitality

--FaZe Clan vs. Natus Vincere

StarLadder Budapest Major prize pool

1. $500,000

2. $170,000

3-4. $80,000

5-8. $45,000 -- Team Falcons, The MongolZ, MOUZ, FURIA

9-11. $20,000 -- B8, G2 Esports, Passion UA

12-14. $20,000 -- Imperial Esports, 3DMAX, paiN Gaming

15-16. $20,000 -- Team Liquid, PARIVISION

17-19. $10,000 -- Ninjas in Pyjamas, M80, Astralis

20-22. $10,000 -- Fnatic, Aurora Gaming, TYLOO

23-24. $10,000 -- MIBR, FlyQuest

25-27. No money -- Legacy, Fluxo, NRG

28-30. No money -- RED Canids, The Huns Esports, GamerLegion

31-32. No money -- Lynn Vision Gaming, Rare Atom

--Field Level Media