From April 30 to May 4, the first season of the BLAST Rivals 2025 tournament will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The prize pool for the tournament is $350,000, with $125,000 awarded to the winning team. Five days of thrilling matches await, where the world’s best teams will battle for another trophy and valuable ranking points.
What’s at Stake for the Participating Teams
Vitality (4 FFP)
Vitality continue to impress with their performance in 2025. After winning IEM Melbourne 2025 and completing the Intel Grand Slam, the team is in peak form, maintaining an incredible 21-match winning streak. Considering their current team and individual strength, Vitality are the clear favorites and could easily add another trophy to their collection.
Spirit (4 FFP)
Although Spirit skipped the tournament in Melbourne, they hold the second spot in the HLTV world ranking and continue to show consistently high results:
- IEM Katowice 2025 — 2nd place
- ESL Pro League Season 21 — 3rd-4th place
- BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 — 3rd-4th place
For Spirit, this tournament is a great opportunity to prove that they still deserve their place among the world’s elite.
MOUZ (1 FFP)
MOUZ are showing good form but often lack decisiveness in crucial moments. Their recent achievements include:
- IEM Melbourne 2025 — 3rd-4th place
- BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 — 2nd place
- ESL Pro League Season 21 — 2nd place
- PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 — 1st place
If the team improves their individual preparation, MOUZ will have a real chance to compete for the top spot.
FaZe
2025 has been challenging for FaZe so far. Despite achieving decent placements at some tournaments:
- PGL Bucharest 2025 — 3rd place
- PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 — 4th place
Their disappointing showing in Melbourne raises questions about roster stability. If FaZe don’t improve at BLAST Rivals, roster changes might be inevitable.
Falcons
Falcons came close to spoiling Vitality’s plans at the IEM Melbourne final. Signing m0NESY was a major boost, as he posted an impressive 1.21 rating, making him one of the tournament’s top players. Falcons now have a chance to take revenge on Vitality and kickstart their era of success.
paiN (1 FFP)
The Brazilian team is currently in poor form, having exited recent tournaments early during the group stages. At BLAST Rivals, they must either prove they have learned from their mistakes or seriously consider roster changes.
FlyQuest
The Australian squad was the first to qualify for the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 from their region but failed to make a significant impact at home, finishing 9th–12th at IEM Melbourne. Their main strength is Romanian AWPer regali (rating 1.24), but the team needs to better integrate him into their play if they want better results.
Wildcard
Wildcard are currently in average form, with particular concerns about stanislaw’s performance (rating 0.93 over the last three months). Nevertheless, they qualified for the Austin Major and secured a 5th–6th place finish at CCT Global Finals 2025. Facing Vitality in their opening match will be a real trial for them.
This tournament is especially important as it serves as the final major challenge before the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. Along with the $125,000 prize, the winner will earn 2 Frequent Flyers Program (FFP) points. The FFP program distributes $2 million among teams based on tokens earned at BLAST Premier events throughout the year. Tokens are awarded for victories, deep tournament runs, and consistent participation, while declining an invite leads to token forfeiture. This makes BLAST Rivals 2025 both a battle for prestige and a key step toward future financial rewards.
Underdogs and Favorites
Vitality are the clear favorites for the tournament: the team is in peak form and looks far stronger than the competition. The only teams that could potentially stop them are Spirit or Falcons, who have also shown strong performances recently.
MOUZ appear competitive but need to show more composure in crucial moments. FaZe have chances, but their unstable form raises many doubts. As for the underdogs, paiN and Wildcard seem unlikely to challenge the top teams.
READ MORE: Team Vitality Wins ESL Grand Slam V: A Historic Triumph at IEM Melbourne 2025
BLAST Rivals 2025: A Chance for Favorites and a Test for Contenders
BLAST Rivals 2025 Season 1 promises to be a vibrant tournament filled with intense matches. Vitality have every chance to continue their winning streak, but Spirit and Falcons could seriously challenge them for the title. For MOUZ, this tournament is a chance to prove they can take home the gold, while FaZe might be playing under the pressure of possible roster changes. The first matches will set the tone, and by the end of the tournament, we’ll have more answers about the true strength of each team.
