BLAST share more information about BLAST Bounty Winter 2027

BLAST have announced details about the first season of the BLAST bounty Counter-Strike 2 tournament for 2027, including a new format, prize pool, and more.

Scheduled for January 11-24 in Malta, BLAST Bounty Winter is the first S-Tier CS2 esports tournament of 2027, and one of 17 announced events for next year.

The first details about the new iteration of BLAST Bounty were announced earlier this year – including a US$1,250,000 prize pool and transition to a fully-LAN environment.

Now, BLAST have unveiled more information about the upcoming event. That includes a new format.

The tournament will play out in three stages, including Play-In, Last Chance Qualifiers, and Playoffs.

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  Fast Payouts

The Play-In stage will see 16 teams divided into four double-elimination groups of four, where they will battle for spots in the playoffs.

Only the group winners will receive a direct bye into the knockout stage, while the second and third-place teams will proceed to the Last Chance Qualifier.

The eight teams that reach the Last Chance Qualifier will clash for four tickets, leading into single-elimination playoffs with best-of-five grand finals.

While there are some changes, BLAST Winter 2027 will retain the drafting phase.

This means that the top four seeds will be placed in separate play-in groups, with the remaining teams picking their groups, starting with the lower seed.

The total prize pool will be split into three parts – bounties, team payments, and prize money.

In addition to competing for a slice of the prize pool, squads will also receive acceptance fees from BLAST, with higher-ranked teams receiving larger payouts.

Teams ranked 1-4 will get $60,000, ranks 5-8 will secure $30,000, while $5,000 will be handed out to squads ranked ninth-16th.

The Bounty system will return, with top finishers in the Play-In stage securing $30,000, runners-up a $25,000 bounty, and third-place teams a $15,000 bounty.

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  The bookies' bookie

Teams that fight their way through the Play-In but exit in the last chance qualifier earn $10,000, while those that make it to the playoffs via Last Chance Qualifiers get nothing, but will be awarded with at least $15,000 via team bounty.

BLAST will set aside $180,000 for prize money, with the Play-In winners securing $30,000, and those who finish last $5,000.

Teams that fight their way through the Play-In but do not survive the Last Chance Qualifier will earn $10,000.

The prize pool will be divided among all 16 participating squads. The bottom four teams will receiver $10,000 each, while the champions will collect $150,000.

This leaves $750,000 to be handed out to teams based on their final placement.

Prize Pool Distribution

• Champions – $150,000
• Runners-up – $100,000
• 3rd-4th-place – $80,000
• 5th-8th-place – $50,000
• 9th-12th-place – $25,000
• 13th-16th-place – $10,000