Get set for the BLAST Pro Series Global Final in Bahrain, with everything you need to know, including schedule, live stream information, bracket and preview
BLAST Pro Series Global Final 2019 will feature the four teams that gathered most points during the seven BLAST Pro Series events in. The BLAST Pro Series Global Final will take place in Riffa, Bahrain, from December 12th to December 14th.
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BLAST Pro Bahrain bracket
BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019 comprises a double elimination bracket where all matches are best-of-three.
BLAST Pro Series Global Final schedule, streams, pre-match and live betting odds are available on the Luckbox match page.
Results
Day 3, December 14th (BO3)
Lower Bracket Finals
- 1pm CET - Ninjas in Pyjamas 0-2 Team Liquid
Grand Final
- 6pm CET - Astralis 2-0 Team Liquid
Day 2, December 13th (BO3)
Upper Bracket Finals (BO3)
- 1pm CET - Astralis 2-0 Ninjas in Pyjamas
Lower bracket round 1 (BO3)
- 5pm CET - Team Liquid 2-1 FaZe Clan
Day 1, December 12th (BO3)
Semi-finals
- 1pm CET - FaZe Clan 0-2 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- 5pm CET - Team Liquid 0-2 Astralis
Pro Standoff
BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019 will feature a pro standoff. It is a showmatch played on the BLAST Standoff Aim Map in five 1v1.
Every match is played with a different weapon. The first player to seven kills wins the match. The team with the most kills (or match victories if there is a tie) wins.
Picture: Copyright ESL / Bart Oerbekke
A RFRSHing change
Counter-Strike writer Tim Masters runs the rule over the four CS:GO teams in action at BLAST Pro Series Global Final in Bahrain
After what has been a long, circuitous journey, the Blast Pro Series has finally reached a crescendo, and just in time for Christmas, too.
What started as something of an exhibition series, morphed into the bane of Danish CS fans’ existence, and then slowly turned into a Counter-Strike tournament will come to a head in Bahrain, of all places, but that is a conversation for another time.
The seven or so teams that were included in the original Blast plan have been whittled down to just four, and the lineup has a bit of a strange look to it as a result of the convoluted route we took to this point.
Still, now we’ve made it to the Mecca of CS:GO that is, erm, ISA Sports City in Riffa it’s time to put all the criticism away and see if the RFRSH team can put on a final to make the fans sit up and take notice.
Picture: BLAST Pro Series
Blast-of-three, finally
First things first, and we’re happy to say the entire BLAST Global Final weekend will be played out over a best-of-three, double-elimination format to ensure that these are the sort of results people actually pay attention to.
Best-of-one is more popular than it should be, even at some massive events, but it’s clear RFRSH want this to be a serious affair, and have set up the bracket in a way that should limit criticism from the community.
However, from the outside it’s fair to say the seeding or results haven’t done them much of a favour as the opening games look a little lopsided.
With the way the points played out over the regular Blast season FaZe ended up top of the table somehow, meaning that the first games see Astralis face off against Liquid, while FaZe get to play NiP, with the losers of those two games meeting in the lower bracket.
The winner of that lower bracket game will then face off against the loser of the upper bracket finals for a place in the grand finals, where one team will go home with $350,000 and the satisfaction of winning the last big event of 2019.
If there was any justice it would probably be the Danes of Astralis who took the title, having sacrificed a degree of their credibility and dominance to get this event series off the ground, but karma isn’t part of CS:GO.
Prior to the tournament starting, it certainly looks as though whomever wins the game between Astralis and Liquid should be set up for a simple victory, or at least a smooth run to the final, as neither FaZe or NiP have really been on the top level of late, but the famous five from FaZe are probably at least worth an outside shout if you can find a good price as the cold/NiKo partnership, or axis of ego is never too far from doing something special.
Picture: BLAST Pro Series
Never bet against the Danes
The interesting question is whether NiP or FaZe will come out on top of their semi-final, with the latter probably favoured if you look at their standings, but neither in great form.
The FaZe project has faltered really, and the addition of coldzera was never going to fix overnight a team that seems to lack leadership and a coherent thought process, but making the upper bracket final is still on.
From there it will depend on who they play and how their opponents perform, but it’s fair to say that either NiP or FaZe would be considered underdogs in a BO3 vs either of the other two teams playing at the tournament.
What makes this event exciting is the fact that is true of every team, and Blast might also have snagged a coup in getting f0rest at his last event in a NiP shirt if the rumours are true.
Picture: BLAST Pro Series
Wherever you look there is star power, and the results will come down to who can get their best players activated, and who can get the games on the maps they want to play, which normally means the Danes but could be anyone here.
With the tournament not being in Denmark, it probably makes sense to install Astralis as favourites, but this is going to be wild and unpredictable, and is well worth tuning into, even if you’re one of those people on the RFRSH-hate train.
This is the most competitive and robust format the company has run yet, and if the event goes well we could see a lot more of this from them in 2020 and beyond.
BLAST Pro Series Bahrain rosters
Astralis
- device
- dupreeh
- Xyp9x
- gla1ve
- Magisk
- zonic (coach)
Team Liquid
- nitr0
- EliGE
- Twistzz
- NAF
- Stewie2k
- adreN (coach)
FaZe Clan
- rain
- NiKo
- olofmeister
- coldzera
- broky
- YNk (coach)
Ninjas in Pyjamas
- f0rest
- REZ
- Lekr0
- Plopski
- twist
- pita (coach)
Broadcast talent
Show Host
- Adam Savage
Desk Host
- Semmler (Auguste Massonnat)
Interviewer
- Frankie (Frankie Ward)
Analysts
- Pimp (Jacob Winneche)
- Maniac (Mathieu Quiquerez)
Commentators
- Moses (Jason O'Toole)
- Anders (Anders Blume)
- Scrawny (Conner Girvan)
- launders (Mohan Govindasamy)
Observer
- Sliggy (Connor Blomfield)
