My Take on BLAST Premier’s 2024 Team Additions

I still remember the buzz I felt scrolling through my Twitter feed on January 5, 2024, when BLAST Premier dropped the announcement of four new affiliate teams joining their circuit. As a long-time Counter-Strike fan who’s spent countless late nights cheering for my favorite squads, I immediately leaned in, curious about what this expansion would mean for the competitive scene I love.

First off, let’s talk about the standout addition: Team Falcons. A Saudi Arabian esports organization, they built a super team coached by Danny “zonic” Sørensen, a multi-Major champion who’s proven time and again he can lead a roster to the highest levels of success. Can you imagine the pressure and excitement of being part of a team with that kind of pedigree? I’ve watched zonic’s teams dominate tournaments for years, and seeing him take charge of a new, well-funded squad like Falcons made me immediately mark them as a team to watch in 2024.

Next up is GamerLegion, a team that made waves as the finalist of the last Major before 2024. Even though they’d made some changes to the squad that got them that far, BLAST viewers were in for a treat with more gameplay from Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, a 16-year-old prodigy. I remember seeing donk play for the first time and being blown away by his raw skill—at 16, most players are still figuring out their role in a team, but donk was already making plays that veterans would be proud of. It’s rare to see a young talent get this kind of platform so early in their career, and I couldn’t wait to see how he’d grow on the BLAST stage.

Virtus.pro, another new affiliate, brought their own impressive credentials to the circuit. The Russian team had four players who won the Rio de Janeiro Major, and they finished 2023 on a high note by winning ESL Challenger Atlanta. I’ve always admired Virtus.pro’s gritty, aggressive playstyle, and adding them to the BLAST roster meant fans would get to see that energy in every group stage match. Who wouldn’t want to watch a team with that much championship experience go up against the best in the world?

Team Spirit rounded out the four new affiliates, and while the initial announcement didn’t dive deep into their 2024 roster, I knew from past performances that they were a team capable of pulling off upsets. Spirit had a history of underdog runs, and adding them to the mix made the BLAST groups even more unpredictable—something every fan loves, right?

Beyond the four new teams, there was another interesting twist: Cloud9 acquired Evil Geniuses’ spot in the circuit. And if that wasn’t enough, Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunovic revealed that BLEED had tried to bid for one of the four new affiliate spots but was told the roster was full for 2024. That tidbit made me wonder just how competitive the bidding process was—how many other teams had thrown their hats in the ring, and what made these four stand out?

With 12 existing partner teams and the four new affiliates, the 2024 BLAST groups featured 16 teams total. The format was straightforward but intense: six teams would advance to the finals, while the remaining 10 would be relegated to the Showdown. The circuit was still split into Spring and Fall splits, culminating in the World Finals at the end of the year. BLAST also upped the prize pool for the group stages to $190,000, which meant every match mattered even more—no team could afford to take a round off, let alone a whole series.

The Spring groups kicked off on January 22, 2024, running until January 28, with all matches held at BLAST’s studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. I booked off work for the first weekend of the groups, stocked up on snacks, and settled in to watch every match. Seeing Team Falcons’ first BLAST game, watching donk pull off a 1v3 clutch, and cheering as Virtus.pro secured a spot in the finals made those late nights worth every minute.

Looking back now in 2026, those 2024 team additions reshaped the BLAST circuit in ways no one could have fully predicted. Team Falcons went on to make a deep run in the World Finals, donk became one of the most talked-about players in the scene, and Virtus.pro solidified their status as a consistent top-tier team. Even the teams that got relegated to the Showdown used that experience to grow, leading to even more competitive matches in the years that followed.

As a fan, that’s what makes esports so special—every new team, every roster change, every format tweak has the potential to change the game. I’m already looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring, but I’ll never forget that January 2024 announcement that kicked off one of the most exciting eras of BLAST Premier competition.