BLAST has announced major changes to its Premier circuit for the 2027 season, including plans to host one of its key Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) events in Rio de Janeiro.

The company shared the news on X, confirming that Rio will host BLAST Premier Event 5 from October 4 to 17, 2027. The Rio event will feature a $1.25 million prize pool. All six BLAST Premier events in 2027 will offer the same $1.25 million prize pool and will carry maximum impact on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system, the official, data-driven ranking system for CS2 to determine tournament invites and Major qualifications.

The full 2027 schedule begins with Event 1 from January 13 to 24 in the Schengen region. Event 2 will run from March 15 to 28, followed by Event 3 from May 10 to 23. Event 4 is scheduled for August 30 to September 12. The Rio de Janeiro event will take place from October 4 to 17, and Event 6 will close the season from November 8 to 14. Locations for some events are still to be announced.

Global Esports Industry Week (GEIW) will return in 2026 with a bigger and bolder edition, taking place across 18–21 June in Cologne, Germany, alongside IEM Cologne. The schedule and details about ticket sales are available in this link.

BLAST also confirmed it will invest $10 million directly into teams and the Counter-Strike ecosystem in 2027. This is an increase from the $8.5 million invested in 2026. The $10 million will be split across several areas. A total of $3 million will be awarded as prize money based on tournament placement. This money is usually distributed to players and will count toward Valve Regional Standings.

Another $4.5 million will be allocated as Team Payment. This is also based on tournament performance and is typically kept by the organisations.

BLAST is also introducing acceptance fees in 2027. A total of $1.8 million will be distributed to organisations that accept invitations to events. The amount will depend on a team’s strength in the Valve Regional Standings at the time they are invited. In addition, BLAST will invest $700,000 into improving player experience across the season to integrate high-quality conditions at its events.

Outside of the Counter-Strike action, BLAST has revealed its first ever live Brawl Stars event, teaming up with Supercell to make it happen. The event, called Brawl Cup Berlin, is set for May 15 to 17, 2026. On top of that, BLAST and Ubisoft have locked in a fresh three year extension of their global partnership for the Rainbow Six Siege competitive scene, keeping events going through the 2028/29 season.

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