Tournament operator BLAST has announced a massive partnership agreement with the Mongolian Esports Association (MESA). As part of the collaboration, the capital of Mongolia will host a world-class Counter-Strike event for the first time — the BLAST Premier Open Ulaanbaatar tournament, which will be BLAST's first event in Central Asia.
The competition will take place at the Steppe Arena. Key details of the upcoming event:
The choice of Ulaanbaatar is driven by the rapid development of the local professional scene and fan engagement. The Mongolian Counter-Strike audience is known for its dedication: broadcasts of previous BLAST events were watched by over 5% of the country's population. A historic turning point was 2025, when the Mongolian team TheMongolz reached the final of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, narrowly losing to Team Vitality. This result firmly put the country on the global CS map and translated into an ambition to host global tournaments at home.
MESA will be responsible for providing the local infrastructure and expertise needed to host an event of this scale, while BLAST will handle production, broadcasting, and the organization of the competitive segment.
BLAST Vice President James Woollard emphasized that the partnership is a long-term investment in the region and proof that Ulaanbaatar has earned its place among key esports destinations. MESA President Munkhtuvshin Tsagaan added that over the next three years, the capital has every opportunity to become one of Asia's main esports hubs.
In addition to Ulaanbaatar, flagship BLAST Premier tournaments in 2027 will also be held in Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malta. The agreement with MESA places the capital of Mongolia on par with these cities, transforming esports events into significant cultural and economic milestones capable of rivaling traditional international sports.
As a reminder, Neymar has played more than 11 000 hours of Counter-Strike
