Blast Pro Series Istanbul announced

BLAST Pro Series kicked off in November last year, with their inaugural event taking place in Copenhagen's Royal Arena. The tournament features a new approach on Counter-Strike competition, with multiple stages, simultaneous matches and all of the teams playing in front of the crowd.

Istanbul is BLAST Pro Series' second stop

SK were crowned champions in Copenhagen, and now the second stop for BLAST has been revealed: Istanbul. This will make BLAST Pro Series the first premier Counter-Strike event to take place in Turkey's largest city, which is inhabited by nearly 15 million people.

The first invited team for BLAST Pro Series is the local hope Space Soldiers, who made the New Legends Stage of the ELEAGUE Major 2018, with the team's leader Engin "⁠MAJ3R⁠" Küpeli not hiding his excitement:

"We all watched BLAST Pro Series in Copenhagen and the event and tournament looked really awesome. The concept of all teams playing in the arena is really cool from both a fan and a player perspective, and the atmosphere was so intense."

"When we received the invitation to BLAST Pro Series, Istanbul, we all got so motivated. To step up on that stage with the best teams in the World in front of our home crowd. It will be so intense, and we can’t wait to present world class Counter-Strike to the Turkish audience. And to present the Turkish audience to the World!"

BLAST Pro Series' Executive Producer Jordi Roig stated that Istanbul was "a natural choice" and that they have no doubts about it being another "record-breaking" event:

"We are very excited to welcome Istanbul to BLAST Pro Series. Turkey is one of the fastest growing esports countries with more than 30 million esports enthusiasts and Turkish teams are steadily climbing to the top of the world. Istanbul was a natural choice for us and we have no doubt that it will be another record-breaking event."

"The atmosphere at the premiere of BLAST Pro Series in Copenhagen was electrifying and the feedback we received was amazing, but already now we can say for sure, that we will bring even more world class Counter-Strike and entertainment to Istanbul. We are thrilled about the event already and look much forward to presenting the line-up and full program for the first of many international stops in BLAST Pro Series."

Details regarding the date, the venue, and ticket sales have not yet been revealed, with the only confirmed information being that the tournament will take place this summer.

The tournament will once again feature six teams, with only Space Soldiers known for now. The remaining five teams are expected to also be invited, as BLAST's first stop didn't feature qualifiers:

Space Soldiers	Invite
Invite	Invite
Invite	Invite