The 2026 season opens on January 13 with BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 — the first major Counter-Strike 2 event of the year. The tournament will be held in two stages: an online portion running from January 13 to 18, where 32 teams will compete for eight spots, and an offline final stage in the BLAST studio in Malta from January 22 to 25, where the eight qualifiers will join invited sides for the final title run.
Shortly before the start, Valve altered the competitive map pool: Anubis has been reintroduced to replace Train. That switch changes drafting dynamics and makes early predictions harder — a shake-up that increases the tournament’s intrigue for viewers and analysts alike.
Team Vitality
Vitality had a turbulent 2025: they stumbled early and finished last at the BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 Finals, yet they recovered quickly and established themselves as the dominant team by the end of the year. In February they began what looked like a new era and capped 2025 by winning the final tier‑1 event, which also served as a major. ZywOo claimed his 28th MVP award, extending his personal record. On form and consistency, Vitality remain the standard-bearer heading into 2026. Statistically, Anubis has not looked vastly different from Train for the French side — Vitality’s winrates in 2025 were roughly 66.7% on Anubis versus 68.2% on Train — so the map swap is unlikely to derail them severely. The main potential weakness is rust after the break, though captain apEX has argued that learning to rest has been part of their recent success. Betting analysts also list Vitality as the clear favorite, with their implied odds among the shortest going into the event.
FURIA Esports
FURIA rose to prominence in the second half of 2025 and established themselves as a legitimate top‑two threat, even looking capable of toppling Vitality and claiming a major. However, their end to the year was disappointing: they faltered in the playoffs of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, and the team’s young addition molodoy failed to find form on the server despite a flawless group stage. The return of Anubis to the pool is potentially problematic for FURIA — in 2025 Anubis was their weakest map, while Train had been among their three strongest. Such a change could force awkward draft decisions early in the season and create uncomfortable map picks. Over the longer stretch they can adapt, but at the tournament’s start it may be a stumbling block. Still, bookmakers consider FURIA among the contenders with solid chances.
Team Falcons
2025 was a strange year for Team Falcons: the roster was among the most hyped but suffered from bad luck, with their only notable title being PGL Bucharest 2025 — a victory achieved without key players m0NESY and kyousuke participating. The team’s coach, Zonic, has indicated there are no immediate plans for roster changes, so this roster will likely remain intact for the start of the year. Pressure is mounting: if Falcons fail to secure at least one trophy before spring, the organization may be forced into more radical decisions. The players appear well aware of the stakes — many spent the break grinding FACEIT intensely, and stars like m0NESY and kyousuke seem desperate to lift their first trophy in Falcons colors. NiKo, by contrast, took some downtime after a difficult year and is looking to recover mentally. Training and renewed focus could pay off, though bookmakers rank Falcons slightly behind the top two.
Team Spirit
Among the marquee favorites, Team Spirit is the most unpredictable. The organization made the boldest change in the off‑season by appointing Boris “magixx” Vorobyov as the new in‑game leader — a role he has not held on the professional stage before. Because of that change, Spirit’s previous results and statistics are far less informative for expectations: the team now resembles an unknown quantity. One steadying factor is donk, who has shown consistently strong individual performance and remains a reliable presence. Still, with a new leadership dynamic and limited captaincy experience for magixx, Spirit is more of a dark horse than an outright favorite at this stage.
Odds and expectations
Bookmakers’ odds reflect these assessments: Vitality are installed as the frontrunners with the shortest price, followed by FURIA, Team Falcons, and Team Spirit further down the list. Those market numbers were current at the time this preview was written and should be checked again closer to match time as lineups, form, and scrim reports emerge.
Format reminder and coverage
To recap: the online qualifier stage runs from January 13 to 18 with 32 teams competing for eight places in the offline finals, which will be held at the BLAST studio in Malta from January 22 to 25. Coverage of schedules, results, and match reports will be available from esports news outlets and tournament pages throughout the event.
Note on sources
The betting odds mentioned above were taken from bookmakers’ markets and were accurate at publication; readers should consult official bookmaker feeds for the latest lines.