The last Counter-Strike Major was in 2018. Held in Boston, it was the last time that players and fans connected over their love of the game in North America. Now, Blast.tv is bringing the Counter-Strike Major to Austin, TX. And yes, everything is bigger in Texas. This event proved that right by blowing ticket sale expectations out of the water.
The 2025 Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major sold out in six hours, breaking records for the Moody Center. To celebrate the event coming to the Lone Star State, Blast.tv and its partners Live Nation and C3 (the company in charge of Austin City Limits) held an in-person press conference at the Moody Center. The event welcomed select press, UT esports students, and other invitees. Attendees heard from Mayor Kirk Watson, Robbie Douek and Andrew Haworth from BLAST, Drew Hays from the Austin Sports Commission, Jason Lake from Complexity Gaming, and the event was hosted by Moses, one of the game’s former players and current casters.
The 2025 Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major marks seven years since the last Major in North America, but it also brings esports back to Austin after DreamHack moved to Dallas (a city that also hosts ESL and QuakeCon). For Austinites, this means direct access to esports in one of the city’s newest venues, with a full slate of entertainment planned around it. And to be honest, this is what I’ve personally been yearning for.
Speaking to the group, Blast’s Andrew Haworth detailed that the Major will stream to over 200 million people in over 150 countries and in more than 30 languages worldwide. The Austin Major stands as Austin’s most global event and elevates the status of the fast-growing tech hub.
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As the first esports event in the city held in an arena, the Austin Major also marks a significant shift in tournament structure. Haworth detailed changes coming to the Major with the Austin event. The 32 teams will represent new regions, allowing for more equity. All teams will qualify through a new Valve ranking system, with sixteen teams qualifying directly via the new Valve ranking, while the remaining teams will compete via Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs).
The tournament will begin three weeks before the live event in Austin, with early matches played in nearby hotels where players will compete face-to-face with frosted glass between them to prevent screen reflections. More importantly, each night, Blast will host an aftershow with local celebrities to break down the day’s plays.
Sponsored by Austin-based companies Alienware and Dell, the 2025 Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major marks the first time Blast has partnered with these local tech giants, according to Blast’s Robbie Douek. But it’s not all about tech—it’s about tailgating, too.
Taking advantage of the proximity to the University of Texas at Austin and Texas’ love of sporting events, Blast will host a tailgate to celebrate the 2025 Counter-Strike Austin Major. Haworth explained that the goal was to bring to life the traditional American tailgating experience, but with gaming at the center. “The weekend before we kick off at the Moody Center while [preliminary matches] are still going on in the center of town, we are going to build out a tailgate experience. Fans will be able to engage with everything they love about Counter-Strike, interact with local celebrities, and meet the players.”
Haworth also noted that the tailgate will be the first stop for players after their matches for meet-and-greets and interviews. Plus, he added, “Hopefully Alienware will continue to have the world’s largest laptop that people can play on… Hopefully, that will build out the demand and bring out the excitement that people will have for [the Austin Major].”
Ultimately, Blast is capitalizing on Austin’s growing investment in not just college football but also international sporting events. Speaking at the event, Drew Hays noted that while Austin has often been called the largest city in America without professional sports, that label isn’t entirely accurate.
Hays explained, “While we don’t have sports teams like other markets, we do have sporting events. We’ve hosted Formula 1 for over a decade, a PGA Tour event for over eight years. This February alone, Austin will host the WGTA Austin Open, NASCAR at COTA, and the Austin Marathon with elite-level runners and 23,000 participants. And we round it out [at Moody] with two regular-season match-ups for the [San Antonio] Spurs.”
As Hays continued, he emphasized that the 2025 Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major will further cement Austin’s status as an international sports destination, expecting over 40,000 attendees across four days.
The Blast.tv Austin Counter-Strike Major will take place from June 3rd to June 22nd, 2025, at the state-of-the-art Moody Center. For those primarily interested in the final rounds, the Major Champion will be crowned between June 19th and 22nd.
While this is the first Counter-Strike Major in Austin, everyone on stage—and particularly the Blast representatives—expressed hope that this event will mark the beginning of an enduring relationship between Austin, the Counter-Strike community, and Blast.tv.
The Blast.tv Austin Major is currently sold out, though organizers are exploring options to increase availability.
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