BLAST.tv Austin Major Becomes Austin’s First Arena Esports Event & Sells Out in Record Six Hours

BLAST, Live Nation, C3 Presents and the Austin Sports Commission announced that tickets for the highly-anticipated Counter-Strike Austin Major sold out within six hours, breaking all records of previous BLAST esports events. 

The BLAST.tv Austin Major will feature 32 of the world’s top Counter-Strike teams competing for a $1.25 million prize pool, from June 3 to June 22, with June 19-22 taking place at a packed out Moody Center. 

Counter-Strike is one of the world’s most iconic esports titles, with over 20 years of competitive history and a massive global fan base. As the first Counter-Strike Major in the U.S. since 2018, this event continues to solidify Austin’s position as a premier destination for world-leading events. Catch a glimpse of what is to be expected by viewing the last CS Major, in Paris.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major is anticipated to be one of the largest esports events ever hosted in the United States, with thousands attending in person and millions more watching online across 150+ territories in more than 30 languages.

In addition to the impressive international presence guaranteed at this event, it’s an exciting time for Texas-based esports teams like Complexity Gaming, headquartered in Frisco, Texas, to represent their home state on their home turf.

At a press conference last night at the Moody Center (livestream available on youtube) featuring remarks from Mayor Kirk Watson, Leo Matlock (BLAST), Jason Lake (Complexity Gaming), Drew Hays (Austin Sports Commission/Visit Austin) and Andrew Haworth (BLAST), the spokespeople revealed that the Austin Major will drive economic impact for the local community:

• The estimated direct economic impact of the Counter-Strike Austin Major in Austin is $30M+
• Estimated total attendance: 40,000+
• Estimated out-of-state attendance: 65%
• Estimated average daily fan spend: $481
• 15 broadcast days and 59 hours live from Austin 
• 220+ million projected views and an estimated 30 million US-based viewers 

(Credit David Brendan Hall)

The BLAST.tv Major adds to Austin’s growing reputation as a world-class event destination, joining a lineup of high-profile international events, including SXSW, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and Formula 1 at Circuit of The Americas.

The road to the Counter-Strike Austin Major has officially begun and will feature several exciting moments leading up to the final stage inside the Moody Center arena. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements including watch parties, tailgates, tickets and more by heading to BLAST.tv.

BLAST.tv Major dates and schedule: 

• Phase One: June 3rd-6th (Downtown Austin)
• Phase Two: June 7th-10th (Downtown Austin)
• Phase Three: June 12th-15th (Downtown Austin)
• Playoffs: June 19th-22nd (Moody Center)

The BLAST.tv Austin Major will be the first to feature the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs). The MRQs are a brand new qualifying system to the Major – featuring 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. You can read more details on the qualifying process at blast.tv/cs/news/blasttv-austin-major-mrqs-info.