The broadcasting talent for the Blast Austin Major has been revealed with six British names in the line-up.
Counter-Strike teams including Team Vitality, G2 Esports, and Team Liquid are among 32 outfits competing in the tournament which runs from June 3nd to June 22nd in Austin, Texas.
The event which will take place at the Moody Center, will see teams compete for a share of the $1.25m (£930,000) prize pool. Whichever team wins the event will receive $500,000 (£370,000).
An announcement on the Blast.tv X account has revealed there will be six British names as part of the Austin Major broadcast line-up.
British broadcasting talent at Blast Austin Major
Freya Spiers and James Banks will be the desk hosts during the Blast Austin Major.
The pair have worked at several notable Counter-Strike events over recent years, including the Premier World Final in Singapore in November, 2024.
Daniel ‘ddk’ Kapadia is one of four British commentators at the event. DDK only recently made his return to casting at PGL Astana in Kazakhstan earlier this month.
It marked his first casting appearance since the PGL Stockholm Major in 2021. He returned to the Counter-Strike scene after a stint as thegeneral manager for 100 Thieves in Valorant.
Other British commentators in attendance are Hugo Byron, Harry ‘JustHarry’ Russell and Alex ‘Machine’ Richardson.
JustHarry and Hugo have regularly worked alongside together at Counter-Strike events, while Machine is also a renowned name in Counter-Strike casting.
Among other well-known names on the casting line-up include Jacob ‘Pimp’ Winneche. His appearance at the Blast Austin Major is fresh off his football commentary debut for the UEFA Conference League final between Chelsea vs Real Betis.
The Danish caster provided commentary in his own language for Disney+ in a game which Chelsea won 4-1.
Blast Austin Major schedule
The Blast Austin Major tournament is set to take place from June 2nd to 22nd, bringing Counter-Strike 2 competition to Austin, Texas.
There will be three Swiss format stages before the tournament reaches the playoffs. Eight teams including Team Vitality, Team Liquid and G2 Esports won’t enter the Blast Austin Major until the third stage.
Below, is the full schedule of each stage:
- First stage (June 3rd-8th) – 16 teams competing with the top eight advancing.
- Second stage (June 9th-12th) – Eight teams from the first stage join another eight teams in the second stage. The top eight teams advance to the third stage.
- Third stage (June 13th-15th) – The top eight teams from the second stage join eight other teams in the third stage. The top teams then advance to the playoffs.
- Playoffs (June 20th-22nd) – The final eight teams compete in a single bracket elimination with the winner to be determined on June 22nd.
Kieran Lynch is an esports journalist who writes about several games including EA Sports FC 25, Call of Duty, Rainbox Six Siege, and more. He previously worked as a sports journalist for MailOnline.
