The BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals is the first top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) LAN event of the calendar year. As many of the world’s best CS2 players prepare to take the stage, the excitement is palpable.
Share in the excitement as we break down everything about the event, including the schedule, format, dynamic prize pool, and where to watch the action live. Our experts also did hours of research to provide these betting predictions, so let’s leap in!
BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals Schedule & Format
From Jan. 22 to 25, the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals takes place live on LAN at the BLAST Arena Studios in Attard, Malta.
The tournament features eight teams that advanced from the online Closed Qualifier. During the online portion, we witnessed several huge upsets, like FaZe Clan getting knocked out by EYEBALLERS and Monte sending NAVI home with a reverse-sweep comeback.
The tournament features a single-elimination bracket. Quarterfinals and Semifinals matches are best-of-three, and the Grand Final is best-of-five.
The tournament’s dynamic prize pool has a “bounty” system, adding a layer of depth and excitement that makes the stakes of every match unique.
The matchups are decided via a draw system, which takes place live on Jan. 21. During the draw show, the lower-seeded teams will pick their opponents from the higher-seeded teams.
Prize Pool Distribution
The total prize pool is $1,150,000, divided into a $650,000 Club Share and a $500,000 Player Share. BLAST Bounty events feature a dynamic prize pool, where teams fight not only to advance, but to claim a piece of their opponents’ hard-earned “bounty.”
Teams can guarantee 50% of the total bounty from a match, and the other 50% carries over to the next game. The carried-over portion is added to the winning team’s bounty. You can keep track on the Bounty Simulator and Leaderboard page.
How To Watch BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals
Can’t make it to Malta? No problem! CS2 esports fans can watch all the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals action unfold right here at Thunderpick. Visit our CS2 betting section when the matches start to check out our live streams. You’ll also see our intuitive bet slip that lets you place in-play wagers during every match.
You can visit BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels to watch as well.
Teams At BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals
Following the grueling online Closed Qualifier, the field was whittled down from 32 teams to just eight. Here are all the teams participating in the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals.
- Team Vitality
- FURIA
- Team Falcons
- Team Spirit
- GamerLegion
- HEROIC
- Team Liquid
- PARIVISION
Our BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals Predictions
With multiple upsets in the Closed Qualifier, it’s clear that no team is completely safe, no matter their rank. Plus, they’re playing on LAN in front of a crowd, so the pressure will be off the charts.
To prep you for the event, we performed diligent research to create our BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals predictions. We reviewed factors like roster changes, recent performances, current HLTV World Rankings, and the VRS (as of Jan. 19).
Important: These predictions reflect the perceived strength of teams based on historical trends and the latest available odds. This analysis should not be interpreted as betting advice. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. Always gamble responsibly.
Team Spirit
During the offseason, Team Spirit made some huge roster changes, benching IGL Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov and young rifler Ivan “zweih” Gogin. The latter had an incredible showing at the StarLadder Budapest Major.
In their place, we’ve seen the return of Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia and Boris “magixx” Vorobyev as the IGL. At the Closed Qualifier, we saw the roster change in action for the first time… and it was incredible. Spirit demolished SINNERS Esports and Inner Circle with very clean 2-0 wins. The instant chemistry between magixx, zont1x, and superstar Danil “donk” Kryshkovets was undeniable.
With PARIVISION still in the competition, there’s a chance that Team Spirit may meet their ex-teammate on stage at Malta, which would be one heck of a story.
Spirit is ranked #4 on the VRS and #8 on HLTV, so you can consider them lifting the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals trophy as our bold prediction for the event.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
Team Vitality
With nine top-tier trophies in 2025, including both Major Championships, Team Vitality is truly the team to beat.
After a mind-blowing performance last year, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire’s men continued dominating at the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Closed Qualifier. The squad easily beat Virtus.pro in the first round and went on to eliminate EYEBALLERS 2-0, despite the first map going to overtime.
The crew’s superstars, like the 2025 Player of the Year Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut as well as Robin “ropz” Kool, are absolutely crushing it, so it’s easy to see Vitality reaching the Grand Final of any event they enter.
Team Vitality roster:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Robin “ropz” Kool
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire (IGL)
- Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach)
FURIA
The last time we saw FURIA take to the stage in Malta, the legendary Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo led them to a dramatic 3-2 reverse-sweep victory against NAVI at the Grand Final of the Thunderpick World Championship 2025.
FURIA finished 2025 on a high, winning a total of four top-tier LAN trophies, and made no roster changes during the offseason. On the VRS, FURIA is ranked #1, and on the HLTV, they are #2.
During the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Closed Qualifier, FURIA smashed 9INE in the first round. However, the squad barely survived an encounter with FUT Esports, scraping by with a 2-1 win that could have gone either way. That’s why we have FURIA in third-place on our list, instead of in the top two.
FURIA roster:
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Yuri “yuurih” Boian
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Danil “molodoy” Golubenko
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (IGL)
- Sidnei “sidde” Macedo (Coach)
Team Falcons
Team Falcons’s star-studded squad got off to a strong start during the online portion of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, smashing ECSTATIC and Monte with relatively clean 2-0 scorelines.
Team Falcons is currently ranked #3 on the VRS. And with their immense firepower, they should be a shoo-in for a podium finish. However, at the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals, we saw one huge caveat: Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin will not attend, due to “unresolved visa complications.”
In his place, Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski steps up from the academy to the big leagues. At this point, CS2 esports bettors should consider Falcons a wildcard, with two possible outcomes: they’ll either soar with NiKo and m0NESY taking over the server, or fall short.
Team Falcons roster:
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski
- Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski (IGL)
- Danny “zonic” Sørensen (Coach)
Who Will Win BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1?
Team Vitality looks poised to continue crushing it in 2026, but it’s hard to look past Team Spirit’s roster changes. Nevermind the fact that Team Falcons looks poised to do some damage of their own! It’s wild to think we’re already off to such an exciting start, but hey, that’s just CS2 esports for you.
Join us on our CS2 betting page to find out who will win Season 1. Registered users can live-stream all the matches and place in-play bets to add an extra dash of excitement.
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