Tournament organizer BLAST announced a tournament for second tier teams. The teams that are still outside the top 20 of the world ranking will be able to compete for a prize fund of 30,000 euros. FantasyExpo will be a partner of the event. A similar tournament was held last year, but this year the number of participants was increased from 16 to 24 teams.
It is still unclear how exactly the participants will be selected or invited, but the organizers mention that they expect to attract teams from different countries. The competition will take place between May 3 and May 23, i.e. in parallel with Flashpoint 3 – the first ranking tournament of the year in Europe.
The teams participating in BLAST Rising will be divided into six groups, each of which will have two trips to the playoffs under the double elimination system. Those who finish third in their group will be able to compete for four additional playoff spots. All matches will be played on a best-of-3 system. Thus, a total of sixteen teams will make it to the final stage of the tournament.
BLAST Premier representative Andrew Howarth said that he is excited to give teams outside of the top 20 a chance to prove themselves: «The opportunity to expand the CS: GO landscape and bring in more diverse teams to contribute to a sustainable ecosystem – is really important to everyone involved in BLAST».