Sixteen teams will compete in the BLAST Open Porto. The tournament will take place in Copenhagen and Porto from August 26 to September 6, with a total prize pool of $1.1 million.
Twelve teams received invitations based on the results of the Global VRS on July 6. Four more teams qualified for the tournament through regional qualifiers.
On the eve of the tournament, the roster of participants changed. paiN replaced BB, which was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. The Brazilians earned their spot as the highest-seeded team among those that finished second in the closed qualifiers.
Vitality also made a substitution. Justinas “jL” Lekavičius will replace William “mezii” Merriman, who took leave following the birth of his child.
BLAST Open Porto Group Lineup
Group A:
- Aurora
- G2
- Spirit
- DENDELE
- Natus Vincere
- M80
- FURIA
- paiN
Group B:
- Vitality
- Inner Circle
- MOUZ
- 9z
- Legacy
- FUT
- Falcons
- Lynn Vision
BLAST Open Porto Format and Schedule
In the group stage, the 16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight. The competition will follow a double-elimination format, and all matches will be played in a best-of-three (BO3) format.
The winners of each group will advance directly to the playoff semifinals. Teams finishing in second and third place in their groups will begin their quest for the title in the quarterfinals.
In the playoffs, both the quarterfinal and semifinal series will also be best-of-three. Meanwhile, the final will be played in a best-of-five (BO5) format.
The group stage will take place at the BLAST studio in Copenhagen from August 26 to 31. Teams from Group A will play first—their matches are scheduled for August 26. Teams from Group B will start the next day.
The top six teams from the group stage will advance to the next round in Porto. The playoffs will take place at the Super Bock Arena.
Match Schedule for August 26
- 12:00 p.m. — Aurora vs. G2
- 2:30 p.m. — Spirit vs. DENDELE
- 5:00 p.m. — Natus Vincere vs. M80
- 6:30 p.m. — FURIA vs. paiN
Match Schedule for August 27
- 12:00 p.m. — Vitality vs. Inner Circle
- 2:30 p.m. — MOUZ vs. 9z
- 5:00 p.m. — Legacy vs. FUT
- 6:30 p.m. — Falcons vs. Lynn Vision
BLAST Open Porto Prize Pool
The total prize pool for the BLAST Open Porto is $1.1 million. Of this amount, $400,000 is allocated to the players, and another $700,000 goes to the club.
The distribution of funds is as follows:
- 1st place — $150,000 + $100,000 club share
- 2nd place — $60,000 + $100,000 club share
- 3rd–4th places — $40,000 + $75,000 club share
- 5th–6th place — $20,000 + $55,000 club share
- 7th–8th place — $10,000 + $40,000 club share
- 9th–12th place — $7,500 + $25,000 club share
- 13th–16th place — $5,000 + $15,000 club share