BLAST Premier Bounty Winter 2026 Day 2 Schedule: Matches, Format, Rankings & Key Storylines

BLAST Premier Bounty Winter 2026 continues with Day 2 of the Round of 32, featuring four decisive best-of-three matchups in the online stage. With a single-elimination format and the unique Bounty prize system, every series on Day 2 has direct implications for qualification to the LAN Finals in Malta.

This stage is crucial: one loss means immediate elimination from the tournament.

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 Day 2 Matches (January 14, 2026)

All match times are listed in CET.

12:00 CET — Passion UA vs GamerLegion

14:30 CET — HEROIC vs Friendly Campers

17:00 CET — Monte vs Natus Vincere

19:30 CET — Virtus.pro vs Team Vitality

All Day 2 matches are played as Best-of-Three (Bo3) series. Match start times may vary slightly depending on the duration of previous games.

Tournament Format Explained

Online Stage → LAN Finals

BLAST Premier Bounty Winter 2026 is divided into two main phases:

Online Stage: January 13–18, 2026

LAN Finals: January 22–25, 2026 (Malta)

The online stage features 32 invited teams competing in a single-elimination bracket. Only teams that survive the online rounds advance toward the final phase of the event.

What Is the BLAST Bounty System?

Unlike traditional CS2 tournaments, BLAST Bounty introduces a bounty-based prize model:

Each team enters the tournament with an assigned bounty value, based on seeding and ranking.

When a team wins a match:

50% of the defeated opponent’s bounty is paid out immediately as prize money.

The remaining 50% transfers to the winner and increases their bounty for the next round.

Upsets are financially rewarded, encouraging lower-ranked teams to challenge top contenders early.

For the 2026 season, BLAST confirmed that bounty wagering mechanics were removed, following feedback from previous editions.

Why Day 2 Is Critical

Vitality vs Virtus.pro — Early Elimination Risk

Day 2 features one of the strongest matchups of the Round of 32. With Vitality and Virtus.pro meeting this early, one title contender will exit the tournament before reaching the Round of 16 — a direct consequence of the single-elimination format.

Natus Vincere vs Monte — Bounty Pressure Match

Monte enters the series as an underdog but with a clear incentive: defeating NaVi would yield a significantly higher bounty payout. This dynamic is exactly what BLAST Bounty was designed to promote — high-risk, high-reward matchups from the very first rounds.

Player Quotes on Bounty Picks & Strategy

BLAST’s opponent-selection process plays a key role in shaping early matchups. Several players and coaches have publicly explained how bounty value influences decisions:

Richard “Xizt” Landström (NIP):
“They have a lot of bounty we can collect, a pretty decent VRS rank, and we also feel comfortable playing against them.”

David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan (HOTU):
“It’s more about VRS. Imagine if we beat them — we’d get a lot of money from that bounty, and it’s a comfortable matchup for us.”

Johnny “JT” Theodosiou:
“We discussed it as a team, voted, and decided to pick GamerLegion.”

These statements highlight how financial incentives and matchup confidence directly influence the draft phase in BLAST Bounty.

Related BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 News

Several Top Teams Declined Invitations

According to tournament reports, multiple high-profile teams declined invitations to this season’s BLAST Bounty, reshaping the competitive field and opening space for emerging rosters.

Broadcast Talent Announced

BLAST confirmed a full broadcast lineup for the event, including experienced caster duos and analysts returning for the Winter 2026 season.

Where to Watch BLAST Bounty Winter 2026

All matches are streamed live on BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, with selected regional co-streams available.