All top 12 teams from HLTV’s world rankings are competing after receiving direct invitations, while FURIA and regional underdogs M80, Imperial, and The Huns secured their spots through the BLAST Rising qualifiers. Astralis also made it through the same route. Due to seeding based on an older version of Valve’s rankings, Spirit and back-to-back champions Vitality find themselves in a particularly tough Group A.
The format of the tournament mirrors IEM Katowice and Cologne, featuring two groups of eight teams in a double-elimination bracket. Three teams from each group will move on to the playoffs, with upper bracket winners going straight to the semi-finals, while two more from each group will qualify through the lower bracket. All matches will be best-of-three, except for the grand final, which will be a best-of-five.
The group stage follows a rolling schedule with four matches per day, starting at 16:00 CET. Playoffs will take place from March 28-30, with the grand final set for Sunday at 20:30 CET. Here are the opening matches:
The tournament offers a total prize pool of $400,000, with the winner taking home $150,000 and three Frequent Flyer tokens, while the runner-up secures $60,000 and one token. Prize money decreases from there, with 13th-16th place earning $5,000 each. Unlike ESL and PGL, which use a club-share model to boost their prize pools to $1 million, BLAST sticks to a traditional distribution method. However, teams will still receive participation fees and benefit from the $2.5 million annual Frequent Flyers program.
The broadcast lineup features top-tier talent, including Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt as the desk’s ex-pro alongside Jacob "Pimp" Winneche, Alex "Mauisnake" Ellenberg, and returning YouTuber Donald "voo" Parkhurst. Commentators Alex "Machine" Richardson and Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill will also be on board, bringing their signature energy.
Playing on the same maps in CS2 all the time can get boring very quickly. You go on the same maps provided by Valve, and you already know every little corner there and every strategy other players use to win. This is why the community tried to make the universe more fun and attractive. The Steam Workshop gives you more options to explore with your friends. Maps can let you relax and take a break from the competitive scene, explore, or just help you train to prepare you for more challenges. If you have never done this before, perhaps you don’t know what CS2 workshop maps to choose. This article will present ten cool options to banish boredom and give you top experiences with the game.
