BLAST Premier: World Final 2024 is set to bring together the top teams of 2024 for one of the biggest tournaments of the year, held in Singapore’s Resorts World Convention Centre. With a prize pool of $1,000,000 up for grabs, teams will battle through a double-elimination format. All eight teams have shown their skill throughout the year, although each comes with unique challenges and strengths heading into this event.
Tournament Format
The event begins with the Group Stage, featuring two groups of four teams each. Every match in this stage is a best-of-three, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the playoffs. Group winners will secure a spot directly in the semifinals, while the second and third places proceed to the quarterfinals. After the group stage, teams enter a single-elimination bracket playoff where all matches will also be best-of-three, except for the grand final, which will be best-of-five.
Group A
Opening Matches:
- NAVI – Astralis
- FaZe – MOUZ
In Group A, NAVI stands out as the tournament favorite. They’ve been the dominant team this year, winning multiple titles, including ESL Pro League Season 20 and Esports World Cup 2024. Led by Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen, NAVI’s roster features top-tier riflers and an exceptional AWPer, making them a formidable opponent. Their first match against Astralis is expected to be straightforward, as Astralis has faced challenges this season despite adding Casper "cadiaN" Møller as their new in-game leader. Astralis is still working on finding consistency and building synergy within the team, which may make it difficult for them to compete against stronger teams like NAVI.
FaZe and MOUZ round out Group A and could both contend for playoff spots. Both teams have shown mixed performances recently: FaZe performed well in the year’s first half but has struggled to maintain consistency, while MOUZ has also impressed with recent results, securing a second-place finish at IEM Rio 2024. For FaZe and MOUZ, the path to the semifinals may require finding their top form early in the group stage, but with NAVI as the clear favorite, both teams may face an uphill battle in securing the top spot in the group.
Group B
Opening Matches:
- Vitality – Spirit
- G2 – Liquid
Group B is likely to be more competitive and unpredictable. Vitality would normally be one of the strongest contenders in this group, but they are playing with Audric "JACKZ" Jug as a substitute for William "mezii" Merriman, who is missing the tournament due to personal reasons. This change may affect the team’s coordination, as JACKZ has not played at the tier-1 level recently. Vitality is typically a strong team with solid playoff results throughout the year, yet the substitution makes their journey to the playoffs uncertain. Their biggest challenger in the group will likely be Spirit, a team known for its high skill level and individual talents. Spirit has had a challenging year with mixed results, but they remain a team that can deliver upsets in the right conditions.
G2 and Liquid also enter this tournament with recent roster changes that add to the uncertainty. G2’s lineup changes in the summer affected their team cohesion, and recent results have been inconsistent, with a surprising last-place finish at IEM Rio 2024. However, G2 still boasts strong individual players, and if they find form, they can be competitive. Liquid, similarly, has been working through roster adjustments and managed to show improvement in the second half of the year. While Liquid’s recent performance has been promising, the team may still face challenges in advancing past the group stage.
Outlook
Overall, BLAST Premier: World Final 2024 is shaping up to be an action-packed event where we’ll see the best of CS2. While NAVI enters as the favorite, the group format means surprises are always possible, and each match is a new opportunity for teams to prove themselves. Vitality’s performance with JACKZ, Spirit’s potential for upsets, and Astralis and Liquid’s quest for relevance will all be focal points in Singapore. This event offers a final chance for these teams to bolster their rankings and take home substantial prize money before heading into the Major.
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