BLAST Austin Major Overview: Format, Teams, Schedule, Favorites and Underdogs

Austin Major Overview

BLAST Austin Major is a Counter-Strike 2 major event that will be held in Austin from June 3 to June 22. The total prize available is $1.25 million, and there will be 32 teams competing to find out which team is the best. While eight teams like Vitality, MOUZ, Spirit, Natus Vincere, and others deserved an invite straight to Stage 3, the rest must go through one or two stages before they get to the main stage. 

The real question is, can Vitality, who are on their 30-match and five tournaments win streak, win the most significant event, or will someone finally stop them? We will have to see!

Tournament Format

Stage 1 (June 3 – June 6)

• 16 Team Swiss System Format
• Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3
• All other matches are Bo1
• Top 8 Teams proceed to Stage 2
• Bottom 8 Teams are eliminated

Stage 2 (June 7 – June 10)

• 16 Team Swiss System Format
• Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3
• All other matches are Bo1
• Top 8 Teams proceed to Stage 3
• Bottom 8 Teams are eliminated

Stage 3 (June 12 – June 15)

• 16 Team Swiss System Format
• Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3
• All other matches are Bo1
• Top 8 Teams proceed to the Playoffs
• Bottom 8 Teams are eliminated

Playoffs (June 19 – June 22)

• Single-Elimination bracket
• All matches are Bo3

Teams

Stage 1

Stage 2 Invited Teams

Stage 3 Invited Teams

Favorites and Underdogs

Stage 1

This stage’s outcome seems mostly predictable since some teams are clearly “above the league.” Teams like HEROIC, Complexity, B8, BB Team, and TyLoo had some good results against elite-level teams, and they will have the experience advantage over most of the teams in their stage. We expect those five teams to go through and the rest of the teams to fight to get the three remaining spots at Stage 2.

Stage 2

Eight teams invited to Stage 2 are waiting for eight more teams to make it through Stage 1, and there are some clear favorites among the invited teams. 

Falcons will be the main favorite to make it through Stage 2. They’re one of the best teams in the world, and they had the closest games against unbeatable Vitality. 

Teams like FaZe, Virtus.pro, and FURIA also look like they will have an advantage against other teams because of their experience and recent results. If, as expected, HEROIC makes it to Stage 2, they will be on the same list as those three teams, as they’ve been looking at the same level in past tournaments. 

Stage 3

That’s where it will get hot. Vitality will have all the pressure on them as they’re the best team in the world with a 30-match win streak and are the clear favorites to win this tournament. Teams like MOUZ, Spirit, and Falcons (who expected to make it to this stage) were the ones who got somehow close to stopping Vitality before, and they will try their best at the most important event here. 

The other five teams, G2, TheMongolZ, Aurora, Natus Vincere, and Team Liquid, will have a lot to prove to show that they still deserve to start directly from Stage 3. They’ve been in some kind of slump recently, and all the teams named above were ahead of them. If FaZe and HEROIC make it to this stage, they will be on the same list as these teams, as they are trying their best to come back to the top level. 

Opening Matches Stage 1 Schedule

June 3

• Complexity vs. OG and HEROIC vs. Chinggis Warriors starting at 17:00 CET
• B8 vs. Imperial and BetBoom vs. Nemiga starting at 18:15 CET
• TyLoo vs. NRG and Lynn Vision vs. Legacy starting at 19:30 CET
• Wildcard vs. Metizport and FlyQuest vs. Fluxo starting at 20:45 CET

How to Watch

The BLAST Austin Major will be shown live for people worldwide to enjoy. You can watch all the action from your home, office, or even out and about. The official website, BLAST.tv, offers live updates, detailed stats, and fun features to improve your viewing experience.

There also will be official Twitch and YouTube streams:

• BLAST Twitch Official Primary Stream
• BLAST YouTube Official Stream
• BLAST Twitch Official Secondary Stream

Keep up with our coverage for more insights on the latest esports news and updates.