BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 kicks off in Copenhagen at the end of April and promises five days of exhilarating Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports matches. As an S-Tier event, it’s a can’t-miss for both players and fans.
Our guide to the tournament features everything you need to know, including the schedule, the prize pool distribution, and the competing teams. And for those interested in betting on the event, we compiled our expert predictions for who we think will reach the podium.
BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 Schedule & Format
BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 runs from April 30 to May 4, 2025. The event boasts two exciting stages of competition—the Group Stage and the Playoffs Stage—for five days of nonstop CS2 esports action.
During the first two days of competition, all eight teams will participate in the Group Stage. Teams are split into two groups of four and will fight through a double-elimination GSL-style format. All Group Stage matches are best-of-three. The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs Stage, and the bottom team in each group goes home.
Teams earn spots in the Playoffs based on their Group Stage performance. The winners of each group advance directly to the Semifinals, the 2nd-place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds, and the 3rd-place teams survive to fight in the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds.
The Playoffs Stage (May 2 to 4) features a single-elimination bracket with no second chances, creating a thrilling viewing experience. The Grand Final is a best-of-five slugfest, and all other matches are best-of-three.
Prize Pool Distribution
The table below outlines how much money each team will earn in Season 1 of BLAST Rivals 2025.
| Place | Prize Money |
| 1st | $125,000 |
| 2nd | $75,000 |
| 3rd/4th | $40,000 |
| 5th/6th | $25,000 |
| 7th/8th | $10,000 |
| Total | $350,000 |
How To Watch BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1
You can keep up with every moment of the tournament right here at Thunderpick. Just head over to our CS2 betting section, click the “Live” tab, and select the camera icon to pull up the stream. You’ll also see our bet slip on the right-hand side, allowing all logged-in users to place in-play wagers, taking the excitement to the next level.
BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels are also streaming the event live.
Teams Competing In BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1
Eight teams are competing at BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1. Four received invites based on their global rankings, and the other four were invited based on Valve Regional Rankings (VRS). Let’s take a look at the teams we’ll see competing for glory:
- Team Spirit (Global Rankings Invite)
- Team Vitality (Global Rankings Invite)
- MOUZ (Global Rankings Invite)
- FaZe Clan (Global Rankings Invite)
- Team Falcons (Europe VRS)
- Wildcard Gaming (North America VRS)
- paiN Gaming (South America VRS)
- FlyQuest (Asia VRS)
The invites were based on VRS Rankings for March 3, 2025, as announced by the organizers.
Our Predictions For BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1
With some of the world’s best teams and a few notable dark horses in the mix, the excitement is palpable for the first season of BLAST Rivals 2025. Favorites can fall short, underdogs can rise, and anything in between can happen when these squads play on LAN in Copenhagen.
To share our excitement, we’ve made our predictions for the event with considerations for current team form, recent matchup histories, global rankings, and results from the past few S-Tier events.
Important note: Our BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 analysis should not be seen as betting advice to act upon. Past performances do not guarantee future results. Always gamble responsibly.
Team Falcons
In mid-April, Team Falcons shocked the world by reuniting Bosnian superstar NiKo with young AWP’ing prodigy m0NESY in a player transfer. With the two former G2 Esports players as the tip of the spear for Falcons, the squad can soar higher than ever before. They’re also riding high following a win at PGL Bucharest 2025.
On paper, only two teams (Spirit and Vitality) could realistically knock Falcons out of the tournament. But if that doesn’t happen, we see NiKo, m0NESY, and the squad lifting the trophy in Copenhagen.
Team Falcons roster:
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Emil “Magisk” Reif
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski (IGL)
- Danny “zonic” Sørensen (Coach)
Team Spirit
Team Spirit has won one S-Tier LAN tournament so far this year (BLAST Bounty Season 1). However, they’re still ranked 2nd in the HLTV World Rankings thanks to multiple top-four finishes at recent events. Plus, if one young rifling superstar can stand up to NiKo, it’s the 2024 Player of the Year, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets!
If donk plays lights out and sh1ro keeps landing those AWP shots, Spirit may have what it takes to win. However, we predict they’ll make it to the final but ultimately lose to Falcons with a 3-1 or 3-0 score.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotja
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
Team Vitality
The only AWPer that can consistently go toe-to-toe with m0NESY and come out on top is ZywOo. The Frenchman has been in top form this year, breaking Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev’s record for the most career MVP awards at top events. Team Vitality simply has a winning formula when you consider the firepower of ZywOo and Estonian superstar ropz, the solid work of flameZ and mezii, and apEX’s game sense.
This squad is simply dominant on the server, and there’s a good chance they could take home the gold. They sit at the top of the HLTV World Rankings after winning IEM Katowice, BLAST Open Season 1, and the EPL Season 21. It would certainly be an upset if Vitality doesn’t make it to the Grand Final, but when you think about who we already covered in our predictions, it’s definitely possible.
Team Vitality roster:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Robin “ropz” Kool
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire (IGL)
- Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach)
MOUZ
With a win at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 and two 2nd-place finishes at EPL Season 21 and BLAST Open Season 1 Lisbon, MOUZ has remained in the top five on the HLTV World Rankings. This squad simply synergizes perfectly on the server, and they’ve got the firepower to beat the best of ‘em. Yes, even Vitality, Spirit, and Falcons. You shouldn’t count out MOUZ at BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1—they could lift the trophy!
MOUZ roster:
- Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás
- Dorian “xertioN” Berman
- Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo
- Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
- Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin (IGL)
- Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen (Coach)
Season 1 Is Truly Anyone’s Game
As our predictions make clear, the first season of BLAST Rivals 2025 feels nearly impossible to call. Among the four teams we highlighted, any of them have what it takes to win it all. While that makes the guessing game a bit tougher, it also means that we should see some incredible plays when the tournament starts later this month.
Remember that you can follow all of BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 right here at Thunderpick. Simply visit our CS2 betting page to start live-streaming and betting on every match with your preferred cryptocurrency. Good luck!
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