BLAST Premier’s Roster Rises to 16
Gaming Lyfe Alert! BLAST Premier is leveling up for the 2024 season. New challengers have entered the arena: Falcons, GamerLegion, Team Spirit, and Virtus.pro, ready to throw down in the Spring Groups. This expansion is a game-changer, with the Spring & Fall Groups now boasting a stacked prize pool of $190,000 and more Counter-Strike action than ever before.
The Rise of Affiliate Membership
After Evil Geniuses dipped out, BLAST Premier snagged high interest from the CS world, leading to Cloud9 bagging a Member Team slot. Enter the Affiliate Membership era! More teams, more matches, and more hours of elite CS action are on the cards for 2024.
What’s New in the Game
Here’s the 411: both Spring & Fall Groups are buffing up to 16 teams. Six teams will level up to the Spring and Fall Finals, while 10 teams will duke it out in the Spring and Fall Showdowns. That means 2 x Bo3 matches added to each Group, ditching any redundant matches, and pushing the prize pool to a whopping $190,000 per Group. And don’t sweat it, no changes to the dates!
Showdown Structure Unchanged
The Spring, Fall, or World Finals aren’t messing with their formula. The newly combined BLAST Premier Showdown, announced back in November 2023, will feature a fierce 16-team showdown, including 10 teams from the Spring and Fall Groups and six Regional Qualifiers.
Team Talk
Andrew Haworth, BLAST Premier Programme Director: “We’re hyped to add four new Affiliate Member Teams. There’s a mad hunger to be part of BLAST in the CS ecosystem. Virtus.pro and GamerLegion are big names, and Falcons and Team Spirit are making some noise with their signings. Can’t wait to see these teams in action!”
Falcons’ Grant Rousseau: “Stoked to join BLAST Premier. We’re aiming to grab some trophies and grow the CS ecosystem.”
GamerLegion’s Nicolas Reber: “After our win at the BLAST Major in Paris last year, we’re amped to show what we’ve got in the BLAST Premier.”
Team Spirit’s Ruslana Berest: “Partnering with BLAST is a big move for us. Ready to take on the best!”
Virtus.pro’s Nikolai Petrossian: “Joining BLAST Premier is a huge step for us. It’s about showing our strength on the global CS2 scene.”
Game On in Copenhagen
The BLAST Premier Spring Groups kick off this January at the BLAST Studios in Copenhagen. Six teams will then advance to the Spring Final event at London’s OVO Arena Wembley in June.
The Full Roster for 2024
The 2024 line-up is stacked: Astralis, BIG, Cloud9, Complexity, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, Heroic, NAVI, NIP, OG, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, and the new Affiliate Members – Falcons, GamerLegion, Team Spirit, and Virtus.pro. Get ready, gamers. BLAST Premier 2024 is set to be epic!
