BLAST Rising 2025: Global opportunities for regional teams

BLAST has announced the format and dates for the BLAST Rising 2025 tournaments, which will replace the former BLAST Premier Showdown tournaments. This selection system will be an important step in supporting regional teams from Europe , North and South America, and Asia.

BLAST Rising's global approach
BLAST Rising will allow the top four teams from each region to qualify for the BLAST Open tournament, gaining direct access to the main event. The teams will compete in open and closed qualifiers, and the finalists will receive $10,000 to participate in the final stage of BLAST Rising.

Selection format:

4 invited teams: Determined based on Valve's regional ranking.
Closed qualification: 12 teams from the ranking plus 4 winners of the open qualifiers.
Finals: The top 8 teams from each region in a Single-Elimination (Bo3) format.

Key dates of the qualifiers:
Season 1:
Europe : Relog Media - February 3 - February 9
North America: Liga Ace - February 3 - February 14
South America: Liga Ace - February 3 - February 10
Asia: GGTV - February 3 - February 10

Season 2:
Europe : Relog Media - July 14 - August 3
North America: Liga Ace - July 14 - August 3
South America: Liga Ace - July 14 - August 3
Asia: ESN - July 14 - August 3

Direct support for teams
BLAST has also confirmed that $300,000 will be paid annually to regional teams for participating in BLAST Rising competitions. This will allow players from all over the world to receive support and compete on the international stage.

This global approach strengthens the CS2 ecosystem by creating new opportunities for teams and providing them with stable funding and the opportunity to compete at the highest level.