BLAST Premier is expanding ahead of the 2024 season by adding four new BLAST Premier Affiliate Member Teams.
Falcons, GamerLegion, Team Spirit and Virtus.pro will all join the BLAST Premier circuit in time for Spring Groups, kicking off later this month in the BLAST Copenhagen studios.
Following Evil Geniuses' decision to sell their Member Team slot at the close of 2023, BLAST received high interest from across the Counter-Strike ecosystem, with Cloud9 later being announced as the newest BLAST Premier Member Team.
Following this interest, BLAST has created an Affiliate Membership offering for BLAST Premier, giving fans more matches and broadcast hours in 2024 than in previous seasons.
BLAST Premier Affiliate Member Teams gain the same access to all BLAST Premier tournaments as the existing Member Teams.
The expansion brings the following changes to the BLAST Premier format for the 2024 season:
Andrew Haworth, Programme Director for BLAST Premier, said:
“We are excited to be expanding our pool of participating teams in the BLAST Premier circuit with four new Affiliate Member Teams.
During the bidding process for Evil Geniuses’ Member slot, it became apparent there was a strong appetite to be a part of BLAST from teams across the Counter-Strike ecosystem.
“BLAST is always looking to innovate and enhance the BLAST Premier product for fans across the Counter-Strike space and the expansion will add four new hungry competitors, each with the chance to play on the biggest stages in esports in exciting locations across the world.
“Virtus.pro are an organisation with a deep history in Counter-Strike and GamerLegion experienced great success at the Paris Major last year. Both Falcons and Team Spirit have made statement signings as well and we cannot wait to see all four teams debut later this month and compete across the year.”
Grant Rousseau, Global Director of Esports and EU Operations of Falcons says:
“Falcons are extremely excited to be joining the BLAST Premier circuit. Competing at the best tournaments in Counter-Strike means needing to be a part of the best setups available globally, which BLAST very much provides. We look forward to working with them in the time ahead to help grow their CS ecosystem, and aim to bring home some of their trophies alongside!”
Nicolas Reber, CEO of GamerLegion says:
"We are delighted to have secured a position in one of the best Counter-Strike 2 leagues worldwide. The monumental triumph at the BLAST Major in Paris 2023 has served as a driving force for our team to give our best to consistently demonstrate our ability to compete and emerge victorious against the world's top-tier teams.
"Our participation in BLAST Premier is a testament to our commitment to excellence, and we eagerly anticipate engaging in more high-stakes matches throughout the year."
Ruslana Berest, COO of Team Spirit says:
“Partnering with BLAST is very exciting for Team Spirit. We have always strived to play the best teams at the best tournaments, and the BLAST circuit gives us this opportunity. We are looking forward to showing our best Counter-Strike, see you at the events soon!”
Nikolai Petrossian, CEO of Virtus.pro says:
“We are honoured to join BLAST Premier as we see it as an additional opportunity to cement Virtus.pro’s status on the global CS2 scene. This investment will allow our players to compete with the strongest opponents more frequently contributing to our team’s professional growth.”
BLAST Premier Spring Groups gets underway later this January at the BLAST Studios in Copenhagen, where six teams will qualify for our Spring Final event happening at London’s OVO Arena Wembley in June.
BLAST Premier Member & Affiliate Teams for 2024:
BLAST ApS., Hauser Plads 1, 3., 1127 Copenhagen