This past weekend, Hong Kong hosted the last leg for the BLAST Rivals Fall 2025 tournament at AsiaWorld-Expo from Friday, Nov. 14 to Saturday, Nov. 16. The BLAST Rivals tournament is a CS2 (Counter-Strike 2) event under the BLAST Premier series, a global S-Tier tournament series, with only the best teams from each region competing. With $350,000 USD on the line, this tournament was Hong Kong’s first time hosting an S-Tier esports tournament.
What is Counter Strike 2?
Counter-Strike 2 is the evolution of previously the massively popular first person shooter game, Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), released in 2012. The premise of the game revolves around two teams, the Terrorists (T) and Counter-Terrorists (CT), facing off in short, intense rounds. The T try to plant a bomb, while CT works to prevent the planting or defuse the bomb if it goes down. Players earn money each round based on their performance, which they use to buy weapons and gear, creating a strategic balance between skill, teamwork, and resource management. Though the mechanics are simple to understand, mastering the game requires quick reflexes, communication, and smart decision-making.
What This Means for Hong Kong
This marks a major milestone for Hong Kong, demonstrating the city’s commitment to investing in resources to support and enhance the local esports industry. It puts Hong Kong on the map for international organizers, showing Hong Kong can host world-class competitions and there is an audience. Not only that, but it inspires the local players and organizations by showing how the city is taking a step towards being an international hub for gaming.
My Experience at Blast Rivals
Transportation to the venue was extremely convenient – I took the Airport-Express line and arrived at the venue after a short walk inside from the station. The location leaves little to be desired as it can be quite a journey for some living further from Kowloon or HK Island. Regardless, the check in process was very seamless and no bag check or restrictions were implemented, despite the messages to refrain from bringing large bags. Restaurant options were very limited, with KFC being the most popular on the first floor. Many attendees would flock to the 7/11 between games, resulting in large lineups for a small store. There was a small merch booth selling jerseys from various teams, plushes, an event shirt and jersey, and other small miscellaneous accessories.
The two games I watched were Passion UA vs PaiN Gaming and Team Vitality vs Team Spirit. The first game between Passion and PaiN was a one sided sweep from PaiN gaming, with not as many exciting plays or rounds, but a solid performance from PaiN allowed them to move on to face Team Furia. The next match between Team Vitality and Team Spirit was one of the most anticipated matches of the whole tournament despite only being in the quarter finals. Facing off were two star players in the CS2 scene, “donk” and “ZywOo” who have not faced each other in over 190 days according to the casters. It was a thrilling match, with Spirit taking the first map, Vitality taking the second map in a double overtime, and Vitality taking the last map in single over time.
