BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups: How to watch, schedule, teams, format and more

Following the BLAST Premier Global Finals, CS:GO esports fans are in for yet another treat with the BLAST Premier Spring 2021 tournament series.

It all kicks off with the BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups tournament in February 2021, followed by the Showdown tournament in April, and culminating in the finals starting in June this year.

Here's what you need to know about the first tournament in the series, the BLAST Premier Spring 2021 groups.

BLAST Premier Spring 2021 teams

The teams competing in BLAST Premier Spring 2021 are all partner teams, which means they got direct invites into the tournament.

• Read more: The best CS:GO teams to watch in 2021

There's a total of 12 teams competing, and most of them are in the top 10 in the world right now.

(Picture: BLAST Premier)

The BLAST Premier Spring 2021 teams are:

• Astralis
• Na'Vi
• BIG
• Team Vitality
• OG
• Team Liquid
• Complexity Gaming
• G2 Esports
• FaZe Clan
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• MIBR
• Evil Geniuses

While Astralis, Na'Vi and Team Vitality are the favourites, we might see some upsets at this one, with OG, Team Liquid and G2, for example, looking on great form.

Prize pool

The BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups tournament has a total prize pool of 150,000 USD.

The prize pool distribution for each of the three groups are:

• 1st place - $25,000
• 2nd place - $12,500
• 3rd place - $7,500
• 4th place - $5,000

Arguably more important than the prize money is that the top two teams in each group will claim a spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Finals, while the bottom two teams in each group will have to duke it out in the Spring Showdown tournament.

Schedule

The BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups will run from 4th to 14th February 2021. Once one group has completed all their matches, another group will begin.

Check out the schedule for each of the groups below.

(Picture: BLAST Premier)

At the time of writing, the exact start off of each day's matches is still to be determined. Since this is an online tournament played on European servers, there shouldn't be any late nights for those watching from the UK.

Format

The tournament follows a double-elimination (GSL style) format. Each of the three groups will effectively play through a double-elimination bracket to determine the placements of the teams.

• Read more: Who is s1mple? The GOAT of CS:GO

The top two teams from each group will make their way into BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Finals taking place in June, while the bottom two teams in each group will have to fight in the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown tournament in April.

BLAST Premier Spring 2021 Groups: How to watch

If the Global Finals, which Na'Vi won by taking down Astralis, is anything to go by, then CS:GO esports fans are in for some incredible action.

You can watch all the BLAST Premier Spring 2021 matches via the BLAST Premier Twitch.tv or YouTube channel. We've embedded Twitch channel below for your convenience.

BLASTPremier - TwitchBLAST Premier is an innovative global tournament series of live Counter-Strike tournaments, with the best teams in the world competing in a fast and exhilarating format. Our vision is to deliver world class esports entertainment for everyone.Twitch