The Major invites cutoff date looms large, and the best Counter-Strike teams are headed to Netherlands for a final bout to decide who gets a Stage 3 invite. Vitality enter the event as the heavy favorite, but after Spirit, FURIA, and MOUZ all stumbled at ESL Pro League Season 23, is there anyone who can challenge them for this title? Here’s everything you need to know about BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026.
BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Teams
The event will feature sixteen teams from across the world, with 12 invites going to the VRS ranked teams. In keeping with Valve’s Tournament Operation Requirements, the final four teams have qualified for the event via BLAST’s Rising qualifiers. These qualifiers were held online in four regions: Europe, North America, South America, Asia.
- Vitality
- FURIA
- MOUZ
- Falcons
- PARIVISION
- NAVI
- Aurora
- Spirit
- The MongolZ
- FaZe
- B8
- Liquid
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- NRG
- 9z
- TYLOO
Roster Changes and Stand-ins
Notably, Matej “Nucleonz” Trajkoski will be standing in for Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin in Falcons, with the Russian prodigy facing visa troubles once more. On FaZe, Dominik “GruBy” Świderski will be taking over as Interim Head Coach, after the team parted ways with Filip “NEO” Kubski ahead of the event. Finally, Liquid will be playing the event with their latest signing, Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa, after a swap deal with G2.
BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Prize Pool
The event features a $1.1 million prize pool, with the lion’s share going to the event’s Club Share (to the organizations).
| Placement | Prize Money (+ Club Share) |
|---|---|
| 1st | $150,000 (+$100,000) |
| 2nd | $60,000 (+$100,000) |
| 3rd-4th | $40,000 (+$75,000) |
| 5th-6th | $20,000 (+$55,000) |
| 7th-8th | $10,000 (+$40,000) |
| 9th-12th | $7,500 (+$25,000) |
| 13th-16th | $5,000 (+$15,000) |
BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 format explained
Much like the BLAST Open events of 2025 at Lisbon, and London, Rotterdam will also utilise the classic format of GSL groups into a six team single-elimination playoffs bracket, popularly used by ESL for their IEM events.
The GSL groups feature eight teams in a double elimination bracket, with the top three teams heading to the playoffs. The number one team of each group, determined by the Upper Bracket Finals, will also get a direct berth into the semi-finals of the event.
BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 group stage match schedule and results
Wednesday, March 13, 2026
- Falcons vs. NRG (11:00 CET)
- NAVI vs. B8 (14:30 CET)
- FaZe vs. Aurora (16:00 CET)
- FURIA vs. TYLOO (18:30 CET)
Thursday, March 13, 2026
- PARIVISION vs. NIP (11:00 CET)
- Spirit vs. Liquid (14:30 CET)
- MOUZ vs. The MongolZ (16:00 CET)
- Vitality vs. 9z (18:30 CET)
The schedule and results will be updated as the tournament progresses.
Where to watch PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026
You can watch all the matches live on BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels as well as the tournament organizer’s own platform—BLAST.tv.
