BLAST has outlined the structure of its Rising circuit, which will serve as a gateway for regional teams to qualify for their Open tournaments.
The Rising circuit will take place across four regions: Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Each region will host a series of open and closed qualifiers to determine which teams will advance.
The top four teams in each region’s Valve Regional Rankings, provided they haven’t already received a direct invite to the Open, will secure spots in the BLAST Rising Finals. The following 12 teams in the rankings will be invited to the region’s Closed Qualifiers. These 12 teams will be joined by four squads that advance through regional Open Qualifiers.
In the Closed Qualifiers, the 16 competing teams will be divided into four groups. Each group will follow a double-elimination format, with best-of-three matches determining the top four teams that will proceed to the Rising Finals. These four teams will then join the four directly invited squads to round out the eight-team field.
The Rising Finals will act as the final stage of regional qualification, with the eight best teams vying for a coveted spot at the BLAST Open. The first BLAST Open event is slated to begin on March 19.
The schedule for the inaugural season of the Rising circuit is as follows:
Europe: Partnered with Relog Media
Invitations: February 3
Open Qualifiers: February 4
Closed Qualifiers: February 5-7
Final: February 8-9
North America: Partnered with Liga Ace
Invitations: February 3
Open Qualifiers: February 7
Closed Qualifiers: February 8-10
Final: February 13-14
South America: Partnered with Liga Ace
Invitations: February 3
Open Qualifiers: February 5
Closed Qualifiers: February 6-8
Final: February 9-10
Asia: Partnered with GGTV
Invitations: February 3
Open Qualifiers: February 5
Closed Qualifiers: February 6-8
Final: February 9-10
