A look at our 2026 season with Anne Banschbach
We hope you’re as excited as us to get stuck into another unmissable year of Counter-Strike and BLAST Premier action!
We’re already halfway through January, and we’re once again opening the doors of our Malta studio - this time to host the LAN Finals of the first event of 2026: BLAST Premier Bounty Season 1.
2026 is a pivotal year for BLAST Premier. As we set out to deliver our strongest season yet, a key focus is continuous evolution - applying the learnings from 2025 as we prepare for a year defined by new opportunities, new locations, and even more moments for players to showcase world-class skill on the biggest stage.
Last year was our first year following the end of partner leagues and operating under Valve’s new TOR. We debuted three standalone event formats: Bounty, Open, and Rivals. Each delivered a different viewing experience for fans and moved away from the previous BLAST Premier structure where teams competed for direct LAN qualification.
The 2026 season allows us to apply the lessons learned from 2025. Changes begin with our first event of the year. Bounty was our boldest redesign, and changes for 2026 will see teams more involved than in its first year. Wagering bounties has been removed.
Due to reliance on VRS points, particularly early in the season, the mechanic did not function as intended. As a result, it has been replaced with a new show element that better aligns with the game-show style originally envisioned for the format. We are really excited by this addition and hope you will enjoy it too! Bounty will not only follow the competing teams but also introduce fun show elements that reward the viewers watching both at home as well as at the BLAST Arena studios in Malta."
2025 also presented new opportunities to engage both existing and new fan bases. We returned to Lisbon for Open S1, where an outstanding crowd brought back strong memories of previous BLAST events in 2018 and 2022. We also hosted a show in Wembley Arena for the second consecutive year, which marked my first BLAST event since joining. The season concluded in Hong Kong, a new destination for BLAST, with a sold-out arena and exceptional Counter-Strike passion.
BLAST Premier moves into new territory in 2026 as we expand into new markets. Rotterdam, Netherlands will host its first BLAST event, with the Ahoy Arena set to deliver the first Open of the year and another large-scale production.
The first half of the Premier season concludes in Texas at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. While this is a new location for our Counter-Strike events, we have previous experience at the venue through BLAST’s Rocket League and Fortnite events in 2024, as well as strong support from the Texan audience at the BLAST.tv Austin Major last June.
2026 is also a year to build on proven success. BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong was a defining moment in our history. A sold-out crowd, a city fully engaged with Counter-Strike, and a long-awaited trophy win made it a fitting close to the 2025 season. We will return to Hong Kong later this year to once again conclude the Counter-Strike season.
We can’t wait to welcome fans and players back to arenas this year! In the meantime we hope you enjoy the next week of world-class Counter-Strike in our state-of-the-art studios in Malta.
Anne Banschbach, Programme Director Valve & Supercell
