Team Falcons, Team Spirit, GamerLegion, and Virtus.pro are the latest additions.
Team Falcons, Virtus.pro, Team Spirit, and GamerLegion are the latest additions to the BLAST circuit.
In the expansion of partner teams on the BLAST circuit, the four new teams selected are four European ones. The highlight goes to the Falcons, which is formed under a Saudi Arabian esports organization that built a super team coached by multi-Major champion Danny "zonic" Sørensen.
GamerLegion is a finalist of the last Major, although there have been changes to the squad that helped achieve this. BLAST viewers will be able to see more gameplay from Danil "donk" Kryshkovets, a 16-year-old promise.
Virtus.pro has four players who won the Rio de Janeiro Major. The Russian team finished last year by winning ESL Challenger Atlanta.
In addition to the four new teams for 2024, Cloud9 acquired the spot from Evil Geniuses. Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunovic noted that BLEED tried to get one of the four new spots.
BLAST format changes
With 12 partner teams and the new four affiliate teams, the BLAST groups feature 16 teams in total. Six of them will advance to the finals. The remaining 10 will be relegated to the Showdown. The 2024 BLAST circuit continues to be divided into Spring and Fall, with the World Finals at the end of the year.
BLAST also announced an increase in the prize pool for the group stages to $190,000. For the Showdown, the regional qualifiers for 2024 will remain.
When do BLAST groups start for the new teams?
Spring groups will begin on Jan. 22 and run until Jan. 28. Groups will play at the BLAST studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news!