BLAST Bounty LAN Finals lineup set – kyousuke to miss event

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 19/01/2026

The eight teams set for BLAST Bounty’s LAN Finals are set, following the online phase, which saw several top teams fall out of the competition.

Despite that online volatility, the four top teams in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) qualified for the LAN, however, Falcons will be significant under strength for the event.

BLAST Bounty LAN Finals team list:

• Furia
• Vitality
• Falcons
• Spirit
• Liquid
• Parivision
• Heroic
• GamerLegion

Furia, Vitality, Falcons, and Spirit represent the top teams at the event, following the elimination of the other top teams directly ranked below them.

FaZe, 3DMAX, and NaVi were amongst the teams eliminated in the first round, with Aurora and Astralis falling in the second online round.

Nevertheless, the teamlist conjures some interesting stories so early in the season.

Spirit will see the LAN debut of its new roster, the previous iteration of which won both BLAST Bounty events in 2025.

Furia will be hoping to capture their late 2025 success, after Budapest elimination at the hands of NaVi, and a messy qualification match for this event against FUT.

For Vitality, the task will be to continue their winning ways after their own online stumbles against Eyeballers on Anubis.

GamerLegion’s qualification for the LAN may be a season-defining step for the roster, who were close to falling out of the top 24, and thus, several event invites.

Likewise, after rejecting an invite to PGL Cluj-Napoca, Liquid will have to make hay while the sun shines after two three-map online wins. A strong showing here may prove foundational for their major qualification hopes.

In truth, of the top teams, Falcons qualified most cleanly, but will not be able to conjure their full lineup for the event.

kyousuke and Zonic to miss BLAST Bounty LAN Finals

kyousuke will miss the event due to Visa issues, with Falcons Academy player Matej ‘NucleonZ’ Trajkoski standing-in for the Russian.

There are no specific reasons given by the org for kyousuke’s absence.

Visa issues have been the bane of many events during the VRS era, with Russian players frequently struggling to attend events.

BLAST Bounty specifically features a quick turnaround between qualification from the online stage and having to play in Malta.

Danny ‘Zonic’ Sørensen will also miss the event following the sudden passing of his brother.

The five-time Major winner posted the following on social media following the news:

“After our game vs Ecstatic, I learned that my brother suddenly passed away. I’ve flown home to be with my family.

Tough times, but I’ll try to be back as soon as I can. Proud of the boys for qualifying for Malta”

Esports News UK would like to pass our condolences to Zonic and his family.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

All Posts By Darragh Harbinson