Mayor Sadiq Khan expects CS2 BLAST Open to boost London economy by £30m

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 02/09/2025

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan claims the Counter-Strike 2 BLAST Open is expected to generate £30 million for London’s economy.

The upcoming CS2 Major is taking place in Wembley’s OVO Hydro Arena, between September 5th and 7th.

The six BLAST Open Fall qualified teams will compete for a lion’s share of the $330k (£246k) prize pool.

This is the second year in a row that BLAST has hosted an event at London’s Wembley Arena.

Last year’s BLAST Premier Spring Final was won by Team Spirit after they defeated Natus Vincere.

The venue has hosted various CS esports events over the years.

SK Gaming won the CS:GO Esports Championship Series Season 3 Finals there back in 2017.

Khan says he wants to help continue London’s history with esports:

“London is a leading destination for esports, a hugely exciting and fast-growing industry, and I’ll continue to work hard to support its growth in the capital.”

He also told BLAST he is excited about the event:

“I am delighted to see the prestigious BLAST Premier London Open come to the capital this weekend.

“It will showcase the very best of esports as gamers and fans from across the globe flock to London, creating a significant estimated £30 million economic boost for our city.”

Last year, Khan predicted the League of Legends World Championship final would deliver £12m to London’s economy.

While that was a one-day final, this year’s BLAST Fall Open will bring three days of LAN competition to London.

Who is the favourite to win BLAST Open London?

The tournament has been blown open with some favourites eliminated already, including IEM Cologne champions Team Spirit.

And Esports World Cup winners MongolZ had to be replaced by Team Liquid in the qualifiers due to visa issues.

It means Team Vitality are among the favourites on Counter-Strike betting sites.

Earlier this year, the organisation won seven majors in a row, including IEM Katowice and BLAST Austin.

They’ll also have an advantage with the London crowd, thanks to British superstar William ‘mezii’ Merriman.

After winning their respective Groups, Team Vitality and FURIA have advanced straight to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the quarter-finals will see Mouz face M80 and G2 Esports take on FaZe Clan.

Esports events in London

London has played host to various esports events over the years.

As well as the aforementioned CS tournaments and last year’s LoL Worlds final, the English capital also hosted a Rocket League Major last year.

Additionally, London also hosted the 2025 Pokémon International Championships Europe (EUIC) earlier this year.

With Mayor Khan’s backing, it looks like the city will continue to host esports action – as long as visa issues don’t scare off organisers.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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