The Spring Final of Counter Strike 2 (CS2), the follow-up to the wildly successful Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) first-person shooter game, will take place at Wembley Arena in London, UK next year from June 12 to 16
Esports league Blast Premier announced the news at the ESI London esports conference yesterday (October 19) and said the event, which brings the world's highest-ranked CS2 players globally together, is being put on in conjunction with events and ticketing company Live Nation and London's destination agency London and Partners.
The Spring Final 2024 will be the largest Counter-Strike event in the UK since the London Major 2018, which also took place at Arena Wembley, where Danish organization Astralis won.
Speaking at ESI London 2023, Andrew Haworth, program director for Blast Premier, said: “London is renowned for hosting world-leading events in sport, music, and entertainment with the city now setting its sights on being a leading destination for esports.
“We look forward to working with London and Partners and Live Nation to achieve this aim. Bringing the first BLAST Premier arena event of 2024 to London is an important and exciting first step in this journey.
“The OVO Arena Wembley is a state-of-the-art facility and will provide fans with the perfect setting to witness the most talented Counter-Strike and esports players go head-to-head for a $425,000 total prize pool and chance to qualify for the highly-anticipated World Final in December 2024.
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By GlobalData“We always try and make sure that our arena production is pushing boundaries, and we’ve come up with some ideas that we’ll debut in London. We probably haven’t seen an esports event on this scale in the post-pandemic age.”
Ailsa Buck, head of major events and city experience at London and Partners, also speaking at ESI London 2023, added: “London is a global hub for innovation and creativity. It's a city that embraces new experiences and concepts; making this event the ideal partnership.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Blast back to the capital. We cannot wait to see how this partnership will allow us to continue our esports journey, as well as contribute to making London a place for both work and play.”
Sean Ryman, vice president of sport and family entertainment at Live Nation, said: “Blast Premier's arrival in the UK heralds the start of an exciting new partnership, a pioneering venture for Live Nation UK in the world of esports.
“We are elated to join forces with Blast Premier, contributing to their ongoing expansion and groundbreaking initiatives in the live arena.”
The first two days of the event will be played behind closed doors while the last three days, June 14 to 16 will be played in front of a crowd.
Explainer: What is the significance of Counter-Strike 2 and how will it impact esports?