BLAST Premier announces detailed Counter-Strike 2 tournament schedules, locations, and formats for 2026 and 2027. Six major events each year with new structures, prize pools, and global venues.
Esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier has revealed the comprehensive schedule, locations, and format details for the upcoming Counter-Strike 2 seasons in 2026 and 2027. Fans and competitors alike can expect six major tournaments annually, with evolving formats designed to maintain excitement and competitive integrity across two years.
BLAST Premier 2026: Split into Two Seasons
For 2026, BLAST Premier will divide the competitive calendar into two seasons, Season 1 and Season 2, each featuring three marquee events.
BLAST Bounty will kick off both seasons, with tournaments held in Malta. Season 1’s Bounty runs from January 12th to 25th, while Season 2’s edition is scheduled for July 9th to 11th. Each Bounty event features 32 teams, including the top 28 from the Valve Global Rankings alongside four wildcard entries selected by BLAST. The competition will utilize a single-elimination format: early rounds are played online on European servers, with quarterfinals onward transitioning to LAN. The prize pool for each Bounty tournament is $1.15 million, with $500,000 awarded specifically for bounty achievements and the remainder distributed based on final placements.
Following the Bounties, the BLAST Open events will take place in Europe, from March 16th to 29th in Season 1 and August 24th to September 6th in Season 2. These Opens will feature 16 teams, 12 from Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS) and four through The Risings qualifiers, split into two groups competing in best-of-three double-elimination brackets. The top six teams then advance to a LAN playoff featuring a single-elimination format. The prize pool for each Open is $1.1 million, paid according to final rankings. Specific locations for these Opens remain under wraps for now.
The third major event of each season is BLAST Rivals, a LAN-only competition featuring the top eight teams from the VRS standings. Season 1 Rivals will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, from April 27th to May 3rd, while Season 2 moves to Hong Kong from November 9th to 15th. This event follows a best-of-three GSL group stage format culminating in a best-of-five grand final. Participating teams will share a $1.1 million prize pool based on their final positions.
BLAST Premier 2027: Single Season with Six Events
In 2027, BLAST Premier shifts to a streamlined single-season format featuring six tournaments: two Bounties, three Opens, and one Rivals event. The tentative schedule is as follows:
- Bounty: January 11th to 24th
- Open: March 15th to 28th
- Open: May 10th to 23rd
- Bounty: August 30th to September 12th
- Open: October 4th to 17th
- Rivals: November 8th to 14th
Event locations, additional format details, and potential changes will be disclosed in January 2026 via BLAST.tv.
What This Means for Counter-Strike Fans and Competitors
The BLAST Premier 2026 and 2027 schedules promise a robust, competitive environment for Counter-Strike 2, blending online and LAN play to test the skills of top-tier teams worldwide. The emphasis on Valve Regional Standings (VRS) in qualification and seeding ensures teams consistently perform throughout the year, while large prize pools continue to draw global interest.
By splitting the 2026 calendar into two distinct seasons and then moving to a single-season format in 2027, BLAST Premier offers variety while streamlining competitive progression. The strategic choice of global locations, including Malta, the USA, and Hong Kong, highlights BLAST’s commitment to expanding Counter-Strike’s footprint internationally.
Fans can look forward to high-stakes, fast-paced matches across different tournament formats, with more details expected in early 2026. This evolving structure marks BLAST Premier as a leading organizer shaping the future of Counter-Strike esports.
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