One of the bigger events of the CS:GO competitive calendar is fast approaching. The BLAST Premier Falls Finals 2023 take place in Copenhagen at the Royal Arena from November 24th – 28th. When you compare it to the $2,000,000 prize pool that was up for grabs at the recent PGL Major Stockholm, the $425,000 prize pool for Blast Fall Finals may seem small, but it’s still most definitely a prestigious event for players and fans.
It is regarded as an S-Tier event and will feature eight of the best teams from across the globe. There is plenty up for grabs as the winner of the Fall Finals will earn themselves a spot at the BLAST Premier World Final 2023, taking place in December with a $1,000,000 USD prize pool up for grabs. This guide will cover everything you need to know and might even cover some predictions.
BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023 Breakdown
There is a much more traditional format for this event, so there isn’t anything overly confusing to worry about. It was not an easy journey for the eight teams to get to this stage. It started back in September with Groups, which featured three double-elimination (GSL) format groups with four teams in each group. The top two teams from each group advanced to the Fall Finals, and the bottom two teams from each group advanced to the Fall Showdown.
The Fall Showdown had a total of 16 teams, and the games unfolded in April, this was very much the last chance to try and earn a spot at the Fall Finals. There were no second chances, with a single-elimination bracket consisting of best of 3 matches, and only two teams could proceed to the Fall Finals.
Fall Finals 2023 Format
As mentioned above, the format is incredibly simple for the Blast Premier Fall Finals 2023, but it will still be incredibly intense and entertaining.
- Playoffs: November 24th – 28th, 2023
- Double-Elimination bracket
- All matches are Bo3
There are some huge games in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, so we could see a favorite in the Lower Bracket after just one match, and this creates some amazing storylines and increases the potential for upsets.
Teams Competing At BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023
Below you can find a breakdown of the teams competing at the event, including the full roster and coach if relevant.
| Team | Roster | Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Team Vitality | apEX, ZywOo, shox, misutaaa, Kyojin | XTQZZZ |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) | REZ, Plopski, hampus, dev1ce, LNZ | THREAT |
| Natus Vincere (NaVi) | S1mple, electronic, Boombl4, Perfecto, b1t | B1ad3 |
| Astralis | Xyp9x, gla1ve, Lucky, k0nfig, blameF | ave |
| BIG | tabseN, tiziaN, syrsoN, k1to, gade | Enkay J |
| FaZe Clan | rain, olofmeister, broky, Twistzz, karrigan | RobbaN |
| Heroic | Stavn, cadiaN, TeSeS, refrezh, sjuush | N/A |
| Team Liquid | EliGE, NAF, Stewie2K, Grim, FalleN | adreN |
BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023 Prize Pool
We have already touched on the $425,000 total prize pool, but people are also battling for a spot at the World Final and BLAST Premier points. Here is a full breakdown of everything that is available for the teams.
| Place | $USD | Seed | BLAST Premier Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $225,000 | World Final | 4,000 points |
| 2nd | $85,000 | – | 2,000 points |
| 3rd | $40,000 | – | 1,500 points |
| 4th | $25,000 | – | 1,000 points |
| 5th – 6th | $15,000 | – | 500 points |
| 7th – 8th | $10,000 | – | 250 points |
Four teams have already earned their spot in the 2023 Blast Premier World Final. Let’s take a look at the four teams and how they qualified.
- Gambit Esports (Spring Finals)
- Heroic (ESL Pro League S13)
- Natus Vincere (EPL S14 & PGL Major 2023)
- G2 Esports (Global Leaderboard)
The fifth spot is for the winner of the Fall Finals, and the remaining three spots will go to teams based on their Global Leaderboard standings. So even if a team doesn’t win and earn the direct spot, finishing in second and getting those extra 2,000 points could be a deciding factor on whether or not they reach the World Final.
Broadcast Talent and Where To Watch
Not everyone is keen to read about the broadcast talent for an event, but for some, it can make a big difference. As most of the broadcast talent has been confirmed for the event, it is worth including.
- Desk Host
- Freya (Freya Spiers)
- Stage Hosts
- Machine (Alex Richardson)
- Archarom (Alexandre Maia)
- Analysts
- Maniac (Mathiew Quiquerez)
- SPUNJ (Chad Burchill)
- Commentators:
- Anders (Anders Blume)
- Scrawny (Conner Girvan)
- Launders (Mohan Govindasamy)
- Semmler (Auguste Massonnat)
- Interview
- James Banks (James Banks)
- Observer
- TBA
What We Can Expect
As covered so far, this is a huge event for all the teams attending, and there is plenty up for grabs. Something that is worth noting is that NaVi have already qualified for the World Finals, so there is a possibility that 2nd place could be enough for a team to qualify, or that place would once again fall to the Global Standings.
Now, let’s see what the key storylines and expectations are for the BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023.
NaVi To Continue Dominance
NaVi has been increasingly impressive this year. They have managed to go from an inconsistent team that would pick up some event wins but fail at major hurdles to a consistent team that has broken the curse of s1mple winning a Major event with the team and organization.
The curse was broken at the recent PGL Major Stockholm, where they didn’t lose a single map throughout the duration of the event and took home a whopping $1,000,000. It is highly likely they are going to continue this dominance at the Fall Finals, so do not be surprised if NaVi pick up back to back event wins.
The Battle For Remaining World Final Spots
It appears that the following teams know they have managed to claim a spot at the World Finals; Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Vitality, and Team Liquid. All three teams are sitting quite comfortably in the standings point-wise and can’t possibly not qualify as it stands. However, the big question will be which seed they managed to achieve.
NiP have 4,912.5 points, Vitality have 4,775 points, and Liquid have 4,212.5 points, so it can truly go any way between the three teams. Team Liquid and Team Vitality will clash in the first round of the event and will definitely be worth watching as it could prove vital in the final seeding. Their match is on November 24th at 11:00 GMT.
Ninjas in Pyjamas will be eyeing that game up as they face Astralis in their opening match. With dev1ce leaving Astralis to join the new project at NiP, this will be an emotional contest, and they’ll be hoping for a win to kickstart their chances of getting the highest seed possible.
BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2023 Conclusion
Well, it should be an absolutely incredible event with plenty of the line for some of the best teams in the world. It’s highly recommended to tune in and catch as much action as possible, there will surely be some upsets and some incredible games.
