The first big event of 2026 starts with an online phase. It should be a nice warm-up session for the biggest teams. Ambitious underdogs in the lineup of participants surely hope for an early breakthrough.
The short break between seasons featured some big transfers, a somewhat weird map rotation, and a ceremony of honoring the biggest people in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports. These three aspects create a special thrill around the online qualifier for BLAST Bounty Winter 2026.
How the addition of new players affects the teams' results? What map picks and bans dominate in the competition? Can the most successful players of 2026, Team Vitality, continue their era in pro Counter-Strike?
While still being an online event, the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 qualifier is highly anticipated in the community. Everything about this tournament phase is here: stream, matchups, results, and important details.
Where to watch the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 qualifier: Stream
Schedule of matches
The qualifier goes on from Jan. 13 to Jan 18. Each tournament day features a few CS2 esports matches. Schedule details are in the table below.
Estimated start time | Matches |
|---|---|
| 12 p.m. CET / 6 a.m. ET, Jan. 13 | FUT vs OG |
| 2:30 p.m. CET / 8:30 a.m. ET, Jan. 13 | FaZe vs EYEBALLERS |
| 5 p.m. CET / 11 a.m. ET, Jan. 13 | Astralis vs Fnatic |
| 7:30 p.m. CET / 1:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 13 | Aurora vs HOTU |
Qualifier results at CS2 esports BLAST Bounty Winter 2026
The total number of teams trying to qualify for the LAN Finals is 32. Only eight of them can make it through.
This tournament series by BLAST features an interesting approach to forming money rewards. The exact prize depends on the power level of opponents a team has defeated.
Qualifier standings
Placement | Teams and their prize money | LAN Finals |
|---|---|---|
| 1st–8th | TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD | + |
| 9th–16th | TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD | - |
| 17th–32nd | TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD | - |
Starting matchups
In the first round, the stronger teams are seeded against those with lower ranking. It promises a chance for big upsets — and high-risk, high-reward opportunities on esports betting sites.
All matches at the CS2 BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 event are elimination battles. No missteps allowed!
The top 16 brackets: Qualification matches
It's the second and the final round of the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 qualifier. The matchups are formed after the initial results: lower-seeded teams choose their next opponents.
The winners advance to the main event. The losers are out.
TBD vs TBD TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD TBD vs TBD |
Warm-up or breakthrough: Favorites and underdogs
In theory, this qualifier should be an easy warm-up session for the top CS2 teams.
Vitality players claimed almost all the trophies at HLTV Awards 2025. We are looking forward to witnessing their form at the start of this new season.
FURIA dominated the final tournaments of the last year, like IEM Chengdu 2025. They stumbled in the Budapest Major Playoffs.
NAVI should overcome their inconsistency. Reaching high placements is great, but fans demand trophies!
Team Falcons didn't achieve a proper success in 2025, despite building a nice synergy at such events as BLAST Rivals in Hong Kong. Team Spirit made a shift in the roster to boost their results.
FaZe Clan pulled off some magic at the Budapest Major and reached the grand final. The young star, Jakub "jcobbb" Pietruszewski, may deliver even better now, having more experience on a big stage.
Underdogs at the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 qualifier
Many lower-seeded teams have a chance to shine with their fresh rosters or after their pretty successful end of 2025.
Inner Circle Esports shone at ESL Pro League Season 22.
Astralis have the first tournament after losing Emil "Magisk" Reif and Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz. Two new players in the active roster are Love "phzy" Smidebrant and Gytis "ryu" Glušauskas.
B8 and Passion UA were among the best underdogs at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025.
paiN Gaming and fnatic start the CS2 esports season 2026 with roster changes.
The main event of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 is from Jan. 22 to Jan. 25. The LAN Finals happen in the BLAST studio arena, so there will be no properly big crowd.
The first really huge CS2 offline tournament of 2026 is Intel Extreme Masters Krakow 2026. It happens from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 and becomes a historic shift of location: leaving the iconic Katowice arena behind.
