Starting April 29, 2026, Kinopoisk will stream BLAST esports tournaments to Yandex Plus subscribers, showcasing top competition in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and Dota 2. Over the course of the year, seven BLAST events will be broadcast on the platform: four featuring CS2 and three focused on Dota 2.
The first event, BLAST Rivals Spring 2026, runs from April 29 to May 3 in the United States. The tournament offers a $1 million prize pool and features eight invited teams. Content coverage is provided by the streaming studio TBD.
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 participants and format
The tournament line-up includes Vitality, Natus Vincere, FUT, G2, FaZe, GamerLegion, Astralis, and FURIA. Kazakhstan’s Danil ”molodoy” Golubenko, ranked sixth among HLTV’s top players for 2025, competes as part of FURIA.
Teams are divided into two groups competing under a double-elimination format. Group winners advance directly to the semifinals, while second- and third-place teams proceed to the quarterfinals. The grand final is scheduled for May 3 at 20:00 Moscow Time. Broadcasts will include pre-show segments, and replays will be available in the BLAST section on Kinopoisk.
On April 29, the schedule features these matchups:
- 18:00 – Vitality vs FUT
- 20:30 – Astralis vs G2
- 23:00 – Natus Vincere vs FaZe
- 01:30 (April 30) – FURIA vs GamerLegion
BLAST series overview and Russian team participation
BLAST is a major global esports organizer known for its seasonal structure in Counter-Strike 2 with two annual cycles: Spring Series and Fall Series. Each season features three tournament tiers-Bounty (32 teams), Open (16), and Rivals (8). Russian squads Team Spirit and Parivision regularly compete, alongside European Team Falcons, which includes notable players Ilya ”m0NESY” Osipov and Maksim ”kyousuke” Lukin.
In Dota 2, the BLAST Slam VII tournament will take place from May 26 to June 7 in Copenhagen. Team Yandex, backed by Yandex, receives a direct invite alongside BetBoom Team and Team Spirit, adding a local presence to this major event.
For international viewers, BLAST’s approach echoes similar seasonal formats like the ESL Pro League or DreamHack Masters but emphasizes a tighter selection of invited teams in its Rivals tier. Kinopoisk’s involvement marks a notable expansion of esports streaming access within Russia’s dominant streaming platforms, competing with global giants like Twitch and YouTube.
Looking ahead, Kinopoisk’s commitment to broadcasting BLAST’s CS2 and Dota 2 events signals growing interest in esports content integrated with mainstream entertainment platforms. As CS2 gains traction following Valve’s latest release, and as Dota 2 maintains its competitive depth, Kinopoisk’s streaming reach could influence the region’s esports consumption patterns in the coming years.