Just as ESL Pro League Season 23 finishes up, another S-Tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports event begins. BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 is a big one, with the best teams in the world competing for a huge prize pool and the glory of lifting a BLAST trophy. Here's what fans need to know so they don't miss any of the action.

BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 is a significant S-Tier event, taking place first at the BLAST Studios venue in Copenhagen, Denmark, where the Group Stage will be held. The tournament then moves on to the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Group Stage runs from 18 to 23 March, and the Playoffs Stage runs from 27 to 29 March, so mark those calendars! Teams are competing for their share of the $1.1 million prize pool. That's roughly R18.5 million at the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate.

The Group Stage features two groups of eight teams each, with a GSL-style format, where all matches are best-of-three. Winners of each group advance to the Semifinals, while 2nd place and runners-up go to the Quarterfinals, and the rest are eliminated.

• FURIA
• TYLOO
• Aurora Gaming
• FaZe Clan
• NRG
• Team Falcons
• NAVI
• B8

• Team Vitality
• 9z Team
• The MongolZ
• MOUZ
• Team Liquid
• Team Spirit
• PARIVISION
• NIP

The Playoffs Stage of BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 features a single-elimination bracket. Semifinals and Quarterfinals matches are BO3, and the Grand Final is BO5.

You can catch all the CS2 esports action via the official BLAST Twitch.tv and BLAST Premier YouTube channels. 

Stay tuned to Esports Central as we’ll bring you the results from the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026, and many other top CS2 esports events in the future.

Header image via BLAST.