Abu Dhabi: BLAST, a global leader in esports, has partnered with AD Gaming – a pioneering gaming and esports initiative - to bring their prestigious global esports tournament, the BLAST Premier World Final to Abu Dhabi in December as part of a landmark three-year partnership.
To be hosted at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the BLAST Premier World Final will run from December 14-18 and will feature eight of the world’s best esports organisations for the prestigious world final trophy as they aim to claim a slice of the $1 million prize pool and a chance to claim bragging rights as the champions of Counter-Strike in 2022.
The World Final will be the seventh and last event of the BLAST Premier tournament series and is the culmination of the 2022 global CS:GO calendar. Split across two seasons, BLAST Premier offers a place in the World Final for teams who triumph in the Spring and Fall Seasons, as well as the top four teams on the ‘Race to the World Final Leaderboard’. The line-up will be completed with the winners of ESL Season 16 and the ESL Rio Major.
FaZe Clan was the first team to book their ticket to Abu Dhabi after triumphing in the ESL Pro League Season 15 and winning the PGL Antwerp Major, while NAVI were the latest to qualify having won the Spring Final in Lisbon last week.
Charlotte Kenny, Managing Director of BLAST Premier, said: “As part of our host cities’ process, we are always on the lookout for leading locations and arenas all around the world, Abu Dhabi is the perfect location to follow on from this month’s highly successful Spring Final in Lisbon and November’s Fall Final in Copenhagen. The World Final will follow in the footsteps of popular sports such as UFC, F1 and NBA in hosting major events in Abu Dhabi and the remarkable Etihad Arena provides the perfect stage for our World Final event.
Since being established last year, AD Gaming has brought over 30 game developers into the capital, providing them world class industry support to fuel their success stories from the emirate whilst generating countless opportunities for local and international talent, both now and in the future in this booming industry.
James Hartt, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Abu Dhabi Gaming, added: “BLAST is truly a world leader in the esports industry, so their commitment to Abu Dhabi perfectly demonstrates the scale and impact of the Emirate’s growing gaming and esports sector, both in terms of the industry and the player community. Crucially, it also shows a deep trust in the growth and untapped potential that Abu Dhabi has to offer. Through the incredibly exciting CS:GO World Final, this latest partnership augments Abu Dhabi’s status as a global centre for the creative industries and will drive the long-term development of this strategically important sector.”
Taghrid Alsaeed, Executive Director of Group Communications and Marketing Strategy at Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destination and attractions, said: “We are proud to host the BLAST Premier World Final on Yas Island at Etihad Arena. Yas Island has become a top destination for events and having this event as well is a testament to achieving our vision of positioning the island as a top global destination for entertainment and leisure. We look forward to welcoming fans to this exciting tournament.”
We look forward to welcoming fans to this exciting tournament.”
