BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026: Prize Pool, Tournament Format, and Participants

BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 is the first major open tournament of the BLAST Open series in 2026.

The tournament takes place from March 18 to 29, 2026. The group stage (March 18–23) was held at the BLAST studio near Copenhagen, Denmark, while the playoffs (March 27–29) take place at the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

16 teams are participating. 12 spots were given by VRS ranking invitations, and 4 more were earned through regional online qualifiers (Europe, North America, South America, Asia).

Format:

• Group Stage — double elimination (GSL) with 8 teams in each group, all matches Bo3.
• 3 teams advance from each group: the group winner goes directly to the playoff semifinals, 2nd place to the upper quarterfinal, and 3rd place to the lower quarterfinal.
• Playoffs — single elimination, all matches Bo3, except for the grand final (Bo5 — usually the format in BLAST).

The total prize pool is $1,100,000, with $400,000 allocated to players and $700,000 to organizations (club share).

The tournament is part of the qualification race for the IEM Cologne Major 2026.

Where to watch?

• Official Ukrainian commentary is available on the Maincast channel.
• Official English broadcast is on the BLAST channel.

As a reminder, NAVI advance to the Winners Stage at PGS 2026 Circuit 1 Series 1