Tournament organiser BLAST unveils major US expansion

Jonno Nicholson
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Image of BLAST esports tournament trophy on a stage lit with red and blue lighting
Image credit: BLAST

Danish esports tournament organiser BLAST has expanded into the United States by opening a new office in New York City.

According to a release, the new office will act as ‘the North American hub’ for BLAST, which is hosting five events in North America throughout 2025. This includes a Counter-Strike 2 Major in Austin, Texas and the Fortnite Pro-Am event emanating from Los Angeles, California.

As part of the expansion, the organiser aims to work with content creators based in the United States to ‘develop original content’ and offer live event appearances.

“We’ve been deeply committed to the growth of esports in the US for six years, hosting some of our most iconic live events here since 2019,” commented Leo Matlock, Chief Business Officer at BLAST.

“Establishing a permanent hub here is a natural next step and also a powerful indicator of our long-term investment in the market. This move further adds to our global expansion efforts in 2025.”

The expansion into North America marks a period of growth for BLAST. In April, the organiser expanded into India through a partnership with RISE, a sports and entertainment company owned by Reliance.

What Next for BLAST?

BLAST aims to continue its impressive 2025 when it hosts its second Counter-Strike Major in Austin. 32 Counter-Strike 2 teams from across the world will compete for a share of a $1.25m (~£939,462) prize pool.

Outside of Counter-Strike, the 2025 FNCS and RLCS seasons are nearing their conclusions, with the battle royale and car football titles heading to Lyon, France, in early September.

Having expanded into North America and India in the first five months of 2025, there’s every chance the event organiser expands into more regions before the year comes to an end.

Jonno Nicholson

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Jonno is a writer for Esports Insider and has been part of the team since 2019. Over the past ten years, he's written for several outlets including Gfinity, GGRecon, and Radio Times. As an avid sim racer, he aims to provide insight on one of the fastest growing sectors in esports.
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