NRG Esports to Miss BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 in CS2

The Counter-Strike 2 roster of NRG Esports will not take part in the online stage of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026. This was announced via the tournament’s official social media channels, where a team replacement for the qualification stage participant list was revealed.

The organizers did not disclose the reasons behind NRG’s withdrawal from the event. The vacant slot in the online stage was awarded to the Polish team Friendly Campers, which at the time of publication is ranked 41st in the Valve Ranking. For the team, this represents a rare opportunity to prove themselves in a tournament featuring top-tier opposition.

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 will kick off on January 13 with qualification matches running through January 18. During the online phase, 32 teams will compete for eight spots in the LAN finals. The decisive stage of the tournament will take place from January 22 to 25 in Malta, where the strongest teams will battle for a substantial prize pool.

In the first round of the qualifiers, Friendly Campers will face a tough challenge with a match against HEROIC. The matchup is scheduled for January 14 and will be a serious test for the Polish lineup.

Friendly Campers roster:

• Kamil reiko Cegiełko

• Dawid SaMey Stańczak

• Wojciech bajmi Strzelczyk

• moonwalk

• Patryk OLIMP Woźniak

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 in CS2: Format, Prize Pool, and Participants

NRG’s withdrawal has already impacted the qualification landscape, while the inclusion of Friendly Campers has added extra intrigue to the tournament-especially in the first-round matchups.