BLAST Rivals Season 1 2026: Prize Pool, Tournament Format, and Participants

BLAST Rivals S1 2026 (also known as BLAST Premier Rivals Fort Worth 2026) is the first Rivals series tournament of 2026.

The tournament takes place from April 29 to May 3, 2026 in Fort Worth, United States. The group stage (April 29–30) is held in a studio setting without a live audience, while the playoffs (May 1–3) are played in front of a crowd at Dickies Arena.

A total of 8 teams are participating. The lineup is determined based on Valve Regional Standings. The teams competing are: Team Vitality, FURIA, NAVI, Astralis, G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, GamerLegion, and FUT Esports.

Format:

• Group stage — two double-elimination groups with 4 teams in each, all matches are Bo3.
• From each group, 3 teams advance: the group winner goes directly to the semifinals of the playoffs, 2nd place advances to the quarterfinals (upper bracket), and 3rd place to the quarterfinals (lower bracket). A team is eliminated after two losses.
• Playoffs — single elimination bracket; quarterfinals and semifinals are Bo3, the grand final is Bo5.

The total prize pool is $1,000,000, of which $350,000 goes to players (player share) and $650,000 to organizations (club share).

Where to watch?

• Official Ukrainian broadcast — on the Maincast channel.
• Official English broadcast — on the BLAST channel.

As a reminder, Vitality defeated Spirit in the grand final and became the champions of IEM Rio 2026!