The third event in the BLAST Open series for 2027 has been announced
Tournament operator BLAST has officially announced the third championship in the BLAST Open series, which will take place from September 3 to 12, 2027, in the United States.
Sixteen teams will compete for a total prize pool of $1,250,000. Eleven teams will qualify directly for the main event based on Valve’s global rankings as of May 3, 2027, while the remaining five slots will be determined through regional closed qualifiers. Each region’s qualifiers will feature 8 teams, half of which will receive invites based on the VRS standings, while the other half will advance through single-elimination open qualifiers. In the closed qualifiers, Europe, Asia, and South America will each compete for one slot in a single-elimination bracket, while North America, as the host region, will receive two slots, which will be contested using the GSL system. All matches in the closed qualifiers will be played in a best-of-3 format.
Additionally, the organizers have provided fixed compensation payments for accepting invitations, totaling $400,000. Teams ranked first through fourth in the invite standings will each receive $60,000, teams ranked fifth through eighth will each receive $30,000, and those in slots nine through sixteen will each receive $5,000.
The LAN championship in the U.S. itself is divided into two key stages. The group stage, which will be held using the Swiss system, will take place from September 5 to 9. Based on the results, the top 8 teams will advance to the playoffs. The decisive matches at the arena are scheduled for September 10–12 and will be held in a single-elimination format. The official roster lock for closed qualifier participants is set for July 5, 2027, and for main stage teams, August 27, 2027.
Earlier, Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill stated that BLAST would face serious problems in 2027 due to its rivalry with PGL. According to the commentator, overlapping game schedules will cause the two organizations’ tournament schedules to constantly clash, and the situation will get even worse in 2028.
Photo: BLAST.
