Valve has officially locked in the team list for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major with the release of the crucial April 7 Regional Standings update.
Valve has officially locked in the team list for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major with the release of the crucial April 7 Regional Standings update.
Valve have officially locked in the team list for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major with the release of the crucial April 7 Regional Standings update, setting the stage for Counter-Strike 2’s first Major on North American soil since ELEAGUE Boston 2018.
A total of 32 teams will contest the Major, with 16 earning direct invites based on regional rankings and another 16 to be decided via the upcoming Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) running from April 14 to 17.
Eight teams have punched their tickets directly into Stage 3, bypassing both early Swiss system stages.
Unsurprisingly, Europe leads the way with six squads, joined by top sides from the Americas and Asia.
The next eight teams will begin their Major journey in Stage 2, still needing to prove themselves in one Swiss round before entering the main stage.
The remaining 16 teams will emerge from the six regional MRQs. Europe leads with six qualifying spots, followed by three each from North and South America, two from China, and one each from Oceania and Asia.
This stacked qualifier features top-tier orgs and rising challengers. Astralis, HEROIC, and GamerLegion headline the field.
North America’s best will battle online for their share of the Major spotlight.
Brazil dominates the South America qualifier lineup, with Imperial, Fluxo, and Legacy leading the charge.
With the highest-ranked team in the Asia region, China has secured two Major slots.
Four Aussie squads will scrap for a lone path to Austin.
Mongolia and India are in focus here, with The Huns and Chinggis Warriors among the contenders.
With just under two months to go, the path to the BLAST.tv Austin Major is set.
For fans, it’s a return to Counter-Strike greatness on North American soil, and for teams, it’s the final sprint towards Counter-Strike 2’s biggest stage yet.