The first two weeks of 2021 have been rather eventful. As far as the competitive CSGO scene goes, not so much. We’re yet to see first proper matches this year, but the good news is that they are just around the corner. BLAST premier Global Final is the first massive CSGO event in 2021! It delivers the final act of a lucrative season of BLAST Premier. Eight best teams remain in the competition, hoping for the biggest share of the $1 million in prize money.

• Check out the most interesting esports events in January 2021

Yep, the first CSGO event in 2021 is the wrap-up of a season-long series in 2020. Heck, the full event name is BLAST Premier Global Final 2020; go figure!

As you’d come to expect, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about it. No matter if you’re a hardcore fan of CSGO esports or just a casual viewer, you ought to find something interesting from hereon.

Starting with the fun stuff – interesting facts about BLAST Premier Global Final!

The schedule is the first thing we’re going to examine in this section. BLAST Premier Global Final starts on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and will last through Sunday, Jan. 24. 

We’re talking about six days of top-tier CSGO esports action! Once again, this is a $1 million event here; the BLAST Premier 2020 season’s final event. As such, it deserves every bit of attention it can get!

Format-wise, BLAST Premier Global Final is as straightforward as they come. The double-elimination bracket is the system of choice with the best of three matches from start to finish. 

The first Global Final event, the 2019 iteration (dubbed as BLAST Pro Series Global Final), was held in Riffa, Bahrein in mid-December 2019. Astralis took the title following a marvelous display against Team Liquid in the grand finals. NiP and Faze Clan were the semifinalists. 

There were only four teams on the last Global Final iteration; just $500,000 in prize money. So yeah, it’s safe to say BLAST Premier Global Final 2020 will offer double the excitement!

What about the prize pool distribution? Well, here’s the deal:

PLACE	PRIZE
1ST	$600,000
2ND	$200,000
3RD	$80,000
4TH	$50,000
5TH – 6TH	$20,000
7TH – 8TH	$15,000

The difference between 1st and 2nd is wow! $600,000 for the winning team means motivation won’t be lacking cometh the opening round. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the upper bracket quarterfinals. There’s still a lot of time to go, though. We can expect the first information in the next couple of days!

One thing is certain: Astralis is once again at the top of the CSGO scene. They’ve been missing in action for most of 2020, which is understandable since some of their key players temporarily stepped down from the starting roster. 

On the bright side, both gla1ve and xyp9x are back. Bubzkji is still the sixth man, offering solid options from the backend. Gla1ve has returned to the in-game-leader role. Everything seems to be falling right into place for the Great Danes, making me believe 2021 will be another record-breaking one!

How many events has Astralis won last year? The answer you’re looking for is four. Well, technically five since they’ve also finished first in the BLAST Premier 2020 Circuit. Three of their five titles came in December, following the return of their key players.

Astralis is already eying the $600,000 grand prize. They are the favorites coming into the event, and it’s going to be difficult for any team to contest them properly. It’s not impossible, especially since BLAST Premier Global Final consists of Bo3’s and nothing else.

If there’s one thing people have high expectations for this year, it’s G2 Esports. Ocelote’s organization made plenty of moves over the last year or so. They went from an entirely French roster to a proper Balkan powerhouse following NiKo’s arrival. G2 is currently featuring some of the world’s most lethal fraggers.

NiKo, the Bosnian CSGO legend, is the first name on the team sheet. He’s had another splendid year in Faze Clan before moving to G2 in late October. Unfortunately, he’s yet to win a title with his new team. His presence does show, though. He’s been an outright beast on more than a few occasions already. Even though G2 finished 2020 without a single title, I doubt we’ll see another trophyless year pass by.

G2 Esports will indeed have immensely high aspirations in 2021. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make another roster alteration in the coming months, the final piece of their CSGO puzzle. Of course, I’m referring to the speculations surrounding AmaNEk. The Frenchmen could see the exit door if his performances don’t improve. Pairing NiKo up with another top-class fragger could be what he needs to push G2 to greatness!

Even though Natus Vincere won two events last year (one of which was notable), they were still among the world’s most consistent teams. They rarely had a poor campaign. Heck, they only had two events on which they failed to get into the top four – ESL One Cologne EU and ESL One Road to Rio CIS. It’s quite an accomplishment; we have to give credit where credit is due!

S1mple was, once again, the best NaVi player by a landslide, of course. The Ukrainian CSGO legend is still a level above everyone else except ZywOo. The magnificent duo is still pushing the competitive CSGO forward – let’s hope they keep doing so for years to come.

What about Perfecto, NaVi’s newest signing? It’s been almost a full year since his arrival, and we have to say he’s been pretty solid. There aren’t any important things to point out here. The 21-year-old Russian prospect is earning much-needed experience right next to one of the greatest CS players of all time!

What about FURIA? What is there to be said about the best NA team last season? Well, I honestly don’t think they’re going to have a solid event. I know their late 2020 European campaigns ended up with pretty low results, but I still believe they’ll provide us better things this year. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying FURIA will necessarily win the event, but they could reach well into the upper bracket with a tiny bit of luck, of course.

KSCERATO and yuurih were the best individuals in FURIA’s 2020 season. However, we have to note that FURIA isn’t one of those teams led by super individual plays. Instead, they mostly rely on teamwork. Yep, teamwork makes FURIA’s dream work, just like it does for most other South American teams.

As far as 2021 expectations are concerned, I’m not sure where to place FURIA. On one end, they’ve been brilliant against NA teams. On the other end, they had a bad time against their European counterparts.

Since 2021 ought to pave the way for the return of international LAN events, FURIA’s season will depend on its ability to adapt and counter some of Europe’s finest. For the most part, FURIA is going to be in an uphill struggle!

I guess it’s time to wrap everything up and call it a day, huh?

BLAST Premier Global Final is one heck of a way to finish one and start another competitive season! CSGO is still going strong, boys and girls!

Valve’s first-person shooter is a major esports sensation with all of its ongoing issues and aggressive competition. It had the biggest total prize money awarded last year, and while it will probably never happen again, the future still seems bright for CSGO. 

That said, we’re all done with our BLAST Premier Global Final preview!

As always, thanks for reading. We hope we see you again.