From November 11 to 15, eight teams will compete at BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2 in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, for a $1 million prize pool. It is the final BLAST event of the season and, more importantly, the last top-tier tournament before the PGL Major Singapore begins on November 24.
The field is exceptionally strong for an eight-team event. MOUZ arrive as the new No.1 team in the world after a flawless IEM Beijing title run, FURIA have won two of their last three tournaments, Vitality reunite with apEX after his short paternity break, and Spirit return after skipping Beijing. Meanwhile, Falcons are still searching for consistency, G2 desperately need to recover before the Major, and Legacy arrive in Hong Kong after another difficult event.
Format & Prize Pool
The eight teams are split into two four-team double-elimination groups, with every group-stage match played as a BO3. Three teams from each group advance to the six-team single-elimination playoffs, while the grand final will be played as a BO5.
Group A features Vitality, Falcons, FURIA and Legacy, while Group B contains MOUZ, Spirit, FUT and G2. The tournament has a $1 million total prize pool, with $350,000 allocated to player winnings and $650,000 to club shares.
S-Tier — MOUZ, FURIA, Vitality
MOUZ enter Hong Kong as the clearest favorite based on current form. They won IEM Beijing without dropping a single map, completing the tournament with an 11-0 map record. All five players finished the event above a 1.15 rating, while xertioN earned the first MVP award of his career after a dominant playoff run. The title also moved MOUZ to No.1 in both the HLTV ranking and global VRS.
FURIA have arguably been the strongest team of the past month, winning the Thunderpick World Championship and PGL Masters Bucharest before finally being stopped by BETBOOM in the IEM Beijing quarterfinals. Vitality complete the S-tier after winning ESL Pro League Season 24 and now return to their regular lineup with apEX back from paternity leave. All three teams enter Rivals with legitimate expectations of winning the tournament.
A-Tier — Spirit, Falcons
Spirit remain capable of beating anyone in the world, but their recent results have been much less convincing than their summer form. After winning the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Porto, they struggled at both ESL Pro League and PGL Masters Bucharest. The advantage is that Spirit skipped IEM Beijing, giving donk, sh1ro and the rest of the team considerably more preparation and recovery time before Hong Kong.
Falcons have the individual quality to sit alongside any team in the tournament, but consistency remains the issue. Their IEM Beijing campaign ended in the group stage after a deciding-series defeat to NAVI, continuing a run of events where the roster has struggled to convert its firepower into trophies. With m0NESY, NiKo and kyousuke, their ceiling is still enormous, but Rivals is another opportunity to prove that the results can finally match the names.
B-Tier — G2, FUT
G2 enter Hong Kong in poor form, having suffered three consecutive group-stage exits at ESL Pro League, PGL Masters Bucharest and IEM Beijing. Across those events they won only one series, and coach sAw has openly spoken about the team’s problems with decision-making and coordination. Still, the individual level of HeavyGod, MATYS, NertZ and r1nkle means G2 cannot be written off completely. A strong Rivals run would also be the perfect reset before their Stage 2 campaign at the Singapore Major.
FUT have far less star power but arrive with more encouraging recent signs. Their first event with SunPayus ended with a playoff appearance at PGL Masters Bucharest after a flawless 3-0 Swiss stage that included a victory over Vitality. SunPayus immediately looked comfortable in his new environment, and FUT have since had additional time to work with the lineup. They are not among the favorites, but their Bucharest performance proved that they are capable of punishing stronger teams.
C-Tier — Legacy
Legacy arrive as the clearest outsider among the eight teams. Their form has fallen sharply since winning FISSURE Playground 3, with the team struggling to recover after arT missed ESL Pro League because of meningitis. Even after his return, results have remained inconsistent, and IEM Beijing ended with a last-place finish following a defeat to B8.
The roster has also changed, with ksloks replacing n1ssim. try continues to produce strong individual numbers, but Legacy no longer have the stability or confidence that made them one of the biggest surprises of September. In a group containing Vitality, FURIA and Falcons, simply reaching the playoffs would already represent a significant improvement.
Why BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2 Matters
Unlike PGL Masters Bucharest, this tournament will not decide who reaches the Singapore Major. The November 2 VRS cutoff has already passed, and all eight teams in Hong Kong have secured their places in Singapore. MOUZ, Vitality, Spirit, Falcons, FURIA and Legacy will begin directly in Stage 3, while FUT and G2 enter from Stage 2. That makes Rivals important for a different reason: it is the final elite-level rehearsal before Singapore. Teams have one last opportunity to test their map pools, fix weaknesses and build confidence against opponents they could meet again at the Major.
The schedule adds another layer. IEM Beijing ended only days before BLAST Rivals begins, meaning MOUZ, FURIA, Falcons, G2 and Legacy have had almost no recovery time. Spirit and FUT, meanwhile, skipped Beijing entirely, while Vitality arrive after a longer break with apEX back in the lineup. Fatigue, preparation and momentum could therefore matter just as much as raw quality.
MOUZ need to prove that their perfect Beijing run was not simply one extraordinary week. FURIA can reinforce their position as one of the strongest teams of the autumn, Vitality finally have their normal lineup back, and Spirit have had time to reset. Falcons once again need to turn individual quality into results, while G2 and Legacy desperately need positive momentum before Singapore. With only eight teams, six playoff spots and almost every participant capable of beating another on the right day, BLAST Rivals offers very little room to hide. Five days in Hong Kong will not decide who attends the Major — but they may tell us who is actually ready to win it.
