BLAST and MESA formally launch preparations for historic Ulaanbaatar Counter-Strike event

ULAANBAATAR — BLAST and the Mongolian Esports Association (MESA) have formally launched preparations for BLAST Premier Open Ulaanbaatar 2027, a landmark tournament that will bring some of the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 teams to Mongolia for the first time.

Representatives of BLAST and MESA signed a memorandum of understanding in Ulaanbaatar this week, marking the formal start of preparations for the $1.25 million tournament, scheduled for May 10-23, 2027.

BLAST’s Vice President of Destination and Market Development, James Woollard, traveled to Mongolia for the signing ceremony, where organizers outlined their plans for the event and discussed why Ulaanbaatar was selected as a new destination on the international Counter-Strike circuit.

The tournament will be BLAST’s first event in Mongolia and is expected to feature 16 teams from across the world.

For Mongolia, hosting the event represents another step in its rapid rise within international Counter-Strike, driven by the success of The MongolZ and a fanbase that has increasingly attracted global attention.

Passionate fanbase helped bring BLAST to Mongolia

Woollard said BLAST looks for cities with passionate Counter-Strike communities, the capacity to host major international events and the potential to turn a tournament into a broader destination experience.

Mongolia stood out in all three areas, he said.

“We always look for a truly passionate fanbase,” Woollard said. “We want to know that people love Counter-Strike and that they will come out in their thousands to support it.”

The international success of The MongolZ also played an important role in BLAST’s decision.

The Mongolian team reached the final of the BLAST.tv Austin Major in 2025, where it finished runner-up to Team Vitality. The run drew widespread attention to Mongolia’s Counter-Strike scene, with thousands of supporters gathering in Ulaanbaatar to watch the team compete.

Woollard, who attended the Austin Major, said BLAST had seen firsthand the scale of support surrounding the team.

“We look for passionate people, we look for amazing cities with lots for people to do when they come here, and we look for amazing travel and tourism,” he said.

BLAST also considered Ulaanbaatar’s experience hosting international events and Mongolia’s existing esports infrastructure, including MESA’s experience organizing national competitions.

“We really look for cities that have a level of experience and expertise in hosting esports events and events more generally,” Woollard said.

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Images credit to MESA: MESA Secretary General A. Amarjargal; MESA President Ts. Munkhtuvshin;

BLAST’s Vice President of Destination and Market Development James Woollard

Sixteen teams to compete for $1.25 million

BLAST Premier Open Ulaanbaatar will bring 16 teams to Mongolia for two weeks of competition.

Eleven teams will receive direct invitations based on Valve’s Global VRS rankings, while five places will be determined through regional qualification.

Asia will receive two qualifying spots because Mongolia is the host region. Europe, North America and South America will each receive one.

The first invitations are scheduled to be issued on March 2, 2027, based on the VRS rankings from March 1.

Regional qualifiers are scheduled for April 16-18. The roster lock is set for April 12 for online qualifiers and April 30 for the main event.

The tournament’s $1.25 million financial package consists of $500,000 in prize money and $750,000 in team payments. Invited teams will also be eligible for payments under BLAST’s acceptance-fee model.

Mongolia sees opportunity beyond the tournament

MESA President Ts. Munkhtuvshin said bringing an event of this scale to Ulaanbaatar would give Mongolian fans an opportunity that only a few years ago appeared distant: watching the world’s leading Counter-Strike teams compete in person at home.

“We used to watch the world’s best teams on television. Now we have the opportunity to watch them right in front of us,” Munkhtuvshin said.

He said the tournament could also have an impact beyond esports, particularly by attracting international fans and visitors from neighboring countries.

According to Munkhtuvshin, major teams can bring hundreds of traveling supporters with them, while Mongolia’s geographic position could attract additional spectators from elsewhere in Asia.

For MESA, however, securing the tournament also brings significant organizational responsibility.

MESA Secretary General A. Amarjargal said hosting 16 of the world’s leading teams would require extensive preparation, ranging from competition operations to player security.

“The fact that 16 of the world’s best teams will come in 2027 brings us a very big responsibility,” Amarjargal said.

MESA says it has secured the right to host the BLAST Premier event in Ulaanbaatar for three consecutive years, giving local organizers an opportunity to build experience in staging top-level international esports competitions.

Amarjargal said the success of The MongolZ had been an important factor in creating that opportunity and could, in turn, help inspire the development of Mongolia’s next generation of competitive teams.

Mongolia's growing place in global Counter-Strike

The Ulaanbaatar tournament comes as BLAST expands its Premier circuit into new destinations.

Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malta are also among the destinations on BLAST’s 2027 calendar, as the tournament organizer seeks to take major Counter-Strike events beyond established host cities.

Mongolia offers BLAST something distinctive: a relatively small market with an unusually visible Counter-Strike culture.

That passion has increasingly been seen on the international stage through The MongolZ, whose performances have helped turn Mongolia into one of the most closely watched emerging Counter-Strike nations.

Now, instead of Mongolian supporters traveling abroad or watching through screens, the competition is coming to them.

When BLAST Premier Open Ulaanbaatar begins next May, it will mark the first time a BLAST tournament has been staged in Mongolia — and one of the most significant international Counter-Strike events the country has hosted.