Vitality, G2, FaZe, and NAVI will participate in the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 — but not all will start from the same stage. BLAST has updated the CS2 rankings as of April 7, which dictated the direct invites to the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 and regional qualifiers.

The top sixteen teams in the world have already been invited. Some will go straight to the third stage, bypassing the Swiss rounds. The rest face a long journey through the MRQ.

European Invites

Advancing to Stage 3 are:

• Vitality
• Spirit
• NAVI
• MOUZ
• G2
• Aurora (Formerly Eternal Fire, more details here.)

Playing in Stage 2 will be:

• Falcons
• FaZe
• Virtus.pro
• 3DMAX

Europe's MRQ is the largest by the number of participants: 16 teams, 6 slots. Participants include: Astralis, HEROIC, GamerLegion, BIG, ENCE, fnatic, OG, SAW, 500, Nemiga, 9 Pandas, B8, BetBoom, PARIVISION, Metizport, and BC.Game.

North American Invites

Liquid is the only team from the entire American region to receive a direct invite to Stage 3. In the second stage, the following teams will compete:

• M80
• paiN
• FURIA
• MIBR

Fighting through the MRQ will be Complexity, NRG, Nouns, Getting Info, Wildcard, Marsborne, MIGHT, and BLUEJAYS.

South America

Participating in the MRQ are Imperial, Legacy, ODDIK, RED Canids, Fluxo, Sharks, BESTIA, and Solid. The region will compete for 3 slots in the major.

China

The Chinese MRQ offers 2 places. Participants include TYLOO, Rare Atom, Lynn Vision, and DogEvil. The level of competition is higher than in other parts of Asia.

Oceania

Rooster, FlyQuest, ex-TALON, and SemperFi make up the entire list of MRQ participants for Oceania. The region receives only one slot.

Asia

The MongolZ, like Liquid, received a direct invite to Stage 3. Competing in the MRQ will be: The Huns, Gods Reign, Eruption, and Chinggis Warriors. The teams will compete for one slot.

ATOX will miss the major due to their ban, the duration of which is still unknown. More details on the suspension can be found via this link.

MRQ Schedule

• Europe: April 14–17
• North America: April 15–17
• South America: April 15–17
• China: April 15–17
• Asia: April 15–17
• Oceania: April 15–17

Major Mascot

The organizers have introduced the official mascot for the Austin Major. A stylized fighter in a helmet has become part of the logo and posters, but fans on social media have reacted coolly — many believe it's too cartoonish and doesn't match the spirit of CS.

The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 will take place from June 2 to 22 in Austin, USA. Teams will compete for a prize pool of $1,250,000. For more details on the tournament, follow this link.