The Major Regional Qualifiers for the BLAST Austin Major will be played entirely online, after consecutive years of offline qualifiers determining which Counter-Strike teams attend the Major. BLAST has revealed the full details of the MRQ’s, which are scheduled to take place in April.
BLAST.tv Austin Major Regional Qualifiers Information
Because of the decision to those the Major Regional Qualifiers online, the MRQs for the Americas and Asia will be split into sub-regions to prevent major ping issues. Valve added to their Major rulebook this year that Major qualifiers could be held online, so it’s not surprising to see tournament organizers take advantage.
In Europe, the top 10 teams according to the Valve Regional Standings will be invited directly to Stage 2 or Stage 3 of the Major. The next 16 ranked teams, starting with number 11, will compete in the European MRQ, in a Swiss stage featuring best-of-three matches for advancement and elimination. The top six from this Swiss stage will qualify for Stage 1 of the Major. The dates for the European MRQ are April 14-17.
The top five Americas teams will be invited directly to the Major. The Americas MRQ will consist of a North American MRQ and a South American MRQ. Each one is an eight-team GSL-style group stage, consisting of the top teams from each sub-region, excluding the top five Americas teams already invited. Three teams from each sub-region will qualify for Stage 1 of the Major. The dates for the Americas MRQs are April 15-17.
Only the top ranked team in Asia will be invited directly to the Major. The Asian MRQ will consist of three for each sub-region: China, Oceania/Southeast Asia, and Mongolia/Western Asia. Each region will utilize a four-team double elimination bracket. The sub-region with the highest-ranked invited team will send two teams to Stage 1, while the other sub-regions will send one team to Stage 1. The dates for the Asian MRQs are April 15-17.
What do you make of the decision to hold Major qualifiers online? Let us know down below and on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming esports, check out our coverage of G2’s elimination at SI 2025.
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