Hong Kong’s BLAST Premier Rivals returns

Government and industry leaders gathered yesterday at the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel to formally launch the second edition of BLAST Premier Rivals Hong Kong, confirming that the city’s landmark “M” Mark esports tournament will return in November after a sold-out debut.

BLAST Premier Rivals HK 2026 is proud to have been awarded “M” Mark status, which helps enhance Hong Kong’s image as a capital of international sports events. The “M” Mark, awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, signifies an intense, spectacular, and signature event on the territory’s sports calendar.

Eight of the world’s best Counter-Strike teams will compete for a share of a US$1 million prize pool from November 11-15, with the tournament culminating in three days of live playoff action at AsiaWorld-Arena from November 13-15, when six of the eight teams will battle to be crowned BLAST Premier Rivals champions.

The launch follows a historic first edition last year, which became the largest esports event ever held in HK. At the time, a sellout crowd of 12,000 fans packed AsiaWorld-Arena for the Grand Final, part of more than 30,000 fans who attended across the tournament’s three live-audience days, with attendees traveling from 58 nations.

Yesterday’s launch reinforces the region’s strategy to position itself as a leader in hosting world-class gaming and entertainment events, alongside continued investment in the local esports ecosystem, which includes community ticket programs, a tournament-operations shadowing program for students, and the hiring of more than a hundred local crew and production staff for the 2025 event.