BLAST and MESA to Host Major Tournament Series in Mongolia

BLAST entered into an agreement with the Mongolian Esports Association (MESA), according to which the capital of Mongolia will play host to international tournaments for the next three years, starting in 2027.

The first tournament organized as part of the new cooperation will be BLAST Open Ulaanbaatar 2027 in Counter-Strike 2. The tournament is scheduled to run from May 10th to May 23rd in Steppe Arena and will become the first tournament of such level in Mongolia held by BLAST.

In all, 16 teams will participate in the tournament. The composition of teams will be decided based on Valve's world rankings and regional qualifiers, with two places given to the Asian region.

The total prize pool of the event is planned to be $1.25 million, out of which $500,000 will be prize money, and $750,000 will be team payments.

BLAST stated that its agreement with MESA was not treated as a one-time tournament but as the beginning of an expansion into Central Asia. The company also pointed to the growing interest in Counter-Strike in Mongolia, including strong broadcast audiences and the success of local teams on the international stage.

According to Munkhtuvshin Tsagaan, President of the Mongolian E-Sports Association (MESA), the collaboration with BLAST should contribute towards Ulaanbaatar becoming one of the main esports hubs in Asia.

FISSURE Playground 3: Format, Teams and Prize Pool

Thus, BLAST Open Ulaanbaatar 2027 should become only the first competition that takes place in the framework of this collaboration. Over the following three years, the capital of Mongolia will continue hosting BLAST tournaments in Counter-Strike 2, contributing to the development of the region into an esports hub in this game.