9z and NRG Secure BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Spots After Regional Qualifier Success

9z and NRG Secure BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Spots After Regional Qualifier Success

Two more teams have officially booked their slots in the upcoming BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 event following successful runs in their respective regional qualifiers.

Qualifier Winners: 9z & NRG

9z and NRG emerged victorious in the South American and North American open qualifier brackets, respectively, earning direct invites to BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026, which is set to take place in the Netherlands from March 18–29, 2026.

• 9z’s Qualification:
  The South American side showcased consistency and dominance throughout their qualifier run. En route to qualification, 9z defeated Gaimin Gladiators, Imperial, and Sharks to claim the top seed. This marks an early success for their newly adjusted lineup featuring recent additions — luchov, meyern, and dgt.

• NRG’s Qualification:
  Representing North America, NRG secured their Rotterdam spot by first defeating Fisher College, then edging past Voca, and finally finishing with a straight-sets win against Passion UA. Their run comes alongside a busy competitive start to the year that included appearances at IEM Krakow and local LAN competitions.

Already Qualified: NIP & TYLOO

Earlier in the day, Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) and TYLOO had already locked in their participation in the Dutch event by winning their European and Asian BLAST Premier Rising qualifiers.

With 9z and NRG joining them, four of the 16 slots for the BLAST Open Rotterdam field are now filled via qualifiers.

Remaining Invitations

The remaining 12 spots will be allocated based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as of the February 2 cutoff, where the highest-ranked teams from each region receive direct invites. This system ensures a blend of performance meritocracy and open qualifier success in the tournament lineup.

---

About BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026

BLAST Open Rotterdam is part of the BLAST Premier Open series, a ranked Counter-Strike 2 event featuring a $1.1 million USD prize pool and a global broadcast reach. The event will take place in Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena and includes a group stage followed by playoffs with sixteen of the best CS2 teams from around the world.