The BLAST Austin Major 2025: How to Watch

Here's everything fans need to know about the upcoming Counter-Strike BLAST Austin Major.

Gabby DeSena | Feb 14, 2025

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is approaching as the Counter-Strike competitive season continues. / BLAST.tv

Counter-Strike's Majors allow the strongest international teams to showcase their skills in high-stakes gameplay. This year's first Major event brings Counter-Strike esports back to North America after seven years with a 1,250,000 USD prize pool. Here's everything we know about the event, its key dates and how fans can watch the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 live.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025

The next Counter-Strike Major brings competition to North America. / BLAST.tv

Valve-sponsored S-tier Majors are among the most prestigious competitive opportunities for Counter-Strike's professional esports athletes. This year's first Major, the BLAST.tv Austin Major, will occur in Austin, Texas and feature 16 of the best Counter-Strike teams worldwide. Austin's Moody Center, located on its University of Texas campus, will host the event. Texas is already notable in the Counter-Strike sphere as Complexity Gaming's home state. In addition, this is notably the first Counter-Strike Major in the United States (and North America) in seven years since 2018's ELEAGUE Boston Major.

BLAST is an esports media company and tournament organizer. The group runs Counter-Strike's BLAST Premier Circuit and previously held the game's 2023 Paris Major. The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 has a sizable 1,250,000 prize pool with its first-place winner receiving the largest sum. The Austin Major's sponsors include Alienware, Blacklyte and Red Bull.

According to a recent press conference, the tournament's organizers estimate over 220 million tournament views and over 40,000 live event attendees. Tickets for the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 also reportedly sold out within 6 hours, breaking previous records and making it the fastest-selling esports event in BLAST history.

The mayor of Austin, Kirk Watson, has stated regarding the event:

“We are thrilled that Austin has been selected to host the BLAST.tv Austin Major, one of the biggest esports events in the world. Austin is the perfect place to showcase the esports industry and the technology at the heart of the competition. We look forward to welcoming teams and fans from all across the globe to Austin.”

New Major Regional Qualifier System

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 is the first to utilize a new qualification system. The Major Regional Qualifiers (MRLs) streamline matches through Counter-Strike's main competitive regions and take place fully online. According to BLAST.tv, the MRLs are:

"A series of online qualifiers across 3 regions: Europe, Americas and Asia. Americas is split into separate North American & South American qualifiers and Asia is split into Oceania, China & Rest of Asia regions: Mongolian & Western Asia, China and Oceania and South East Asia.

16 MRL teams will advance to Stage 1 of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. 6 from Europe, 6 from the Americas and 4 from Asia will progress.

When is the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025?

The entire 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major spans from June 3 to June 22 2025. However, its main events including the Playoffs and Grand Final match will occur live in front of the Moody Arena's audience from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22.

BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 Schedule

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 tournament will progress through several phases before its June 19-22 conclusion. Here's a quick rundown of the event's schedule:

June 3-6: Phase 1 (held in Downtown Austin)
June 7-10: Phase 2 (held in Downtown Austin)
June 12-15: Phase 3 (held in Downtown Austin)
June 19-22: Playoffs in the Moody Center Arena

Where to Watch the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025

According to BLAST.tv, the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 will feature "15 broadcast days", so the entire event will be streamed live even when in-person matches are not occurring at the Moody Center arena. Fans can keep tabs on the BLAST.tv Austin Major through BLAST.tv's website, blast.tv/cs. The website also contains a team list with up-to-date rosters and a running calendar.

BLAST.tv will stream the Austin Major live on Twitch at twitch.tv/blastpremier, BLAST Premier's official channel. The account has over 2 million followers, and watchers can participate in live chat as they watch the event.

BLAST.tv is planning official watch parties for the Austin Major which it will announce as the event draws closer. Many Counter-Strike streamers also hold unofficial watch parties during Majors in which they provide commentary and interact with their chat. The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 will likely pop up on these streams in Twitch's Counter-Strike general category.

In addition, BLAST Premier's YouTube Channel with over 578,000 subscribers streams at youtube.com/@BLASTPremier. Like Twitch, the account's streams include a live chat feature. VODS of past broadcasts are available on both BLAST Premier's YouTube and Twitch channels, so fans can easily catch up on important matches they have missed or rewatch key in-game moments.

BLAST.tv is also providing updates about the event on its social media pages. On X.com, @BLASTPremier is posting about preparations for the Austin Major. The group is active on Instagram at @blastpremier and on Facebook at @BLASTPremier.