BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 to be held in Hong Kong

BLAST has confirmed that the second iteration of BLAST Rivals for 2025 will be held in Hong Kong. The event was previously confirmed for Asia, and now clarification has arrived that competitive Counter-Strike is headed to Hong Kong, with support from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

BLAST Rivals Hong Kong 2025 will take place between November 12th and 16th in the AsiaWorld-Arena. Boasting a $350,000 prize pool, it will see eight teams invited from across the globe to compete for the lion’s share of the cash. Invitations will be sent out on October 6th, with four teams at the top of the VRS invited as well as four wildcards from Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. According to BLAST’s announcement, it marks “Hong Kong’s largest esports event to date and represents a historic milestone as the first esports event to receive the prestigious “M” Mark designation by the Major Sports Events Committee under the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).”

After the announcement, James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said:

“We are incredibly proud to bring the BLAST Premier Rivals to Hong Kong and make history in the process, as the first esports event to receive ‘M’ Mark recognition. This event will combine world-class competition, state-of-the-art production and a uniquely local cultural experience to create an unforgettable moment for fans in Hong Kong, Asia and around the globe. We are excited to be working with brilliant and trusted local partners such as the Esports Association of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which will allow us to put this vibrant city at the centre of the global esports and gaming world in November.”

BLAST Rivals Hong Kong is another win for Asian CS

At the moment, Asian Counter-Strike is arguably in the strongest place it has ever been. The MongolZ are one of the best CS2 teams on the planet and Chinese teams like Lynn Vision and TYLOO continue to up their stock at every international event they attend. It’s in a great place, which only serves to improve the popularity of CS in the region.

However, Counter-Strike hasn’t always been the most popular esport in Asia, hence the lack of truly great players to emerge from there. That’s why something like BLAST Rivals Hong Kong 2025 is so important – long-term, it should go a long way to widening Counter-Strike 2’s Asian audience in the same way the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 did last year.