Groups set for BLAST Premier Spring

BLAST introduce a new format for Spring Groups as tier-one CS returns.

The seeding for BLAST Premier Spring Groups is now done, and the organiser has announced the three groups of four teams that will do battle in the opening tournament of the season.

Played on LAN in Copenhagen, the Spring Groups first saw the teams seed each other with those seedings being used to draw the groups for the initial stage of the event. These groups will compete in a double-elimination bracket, with the winners qualifying straight to the Spring Final.

The remaining teams will participate in three single-elimination gauntlet brackets, with the second-place teams from the group seeded straight into the final of the gauntlet. The winners of the gauntlets will also qualify for the Spring Final, with the losing teams heading to the Spring Showdown.

Group A hosts the current No. 1 team in the world, HEROIC, and serves up the tantalising prospect of an early-season Danish derby as Astralis also find themselves in the same group. This group will act as the sternest test yet for Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz since his return to active play, as well as a chance for Christian "⁠Buzz⁠" Andersen to make his debut.

Natus Vincere and Ninjas in Pyjamas take up berths in group C and will both be making their first steps with new-look rosters, as Andrii "⁠npl⁠" Kukharskyi begins his first year as a full member of the CIS giants and Ninjas in Pyjamas debut their replacement for Patrick "⁠es3tag⁠" Hansen. Should rumours come to pass, Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov would end up facing Natus Vincere immediately after leaving the organisation.

The groups for BLAST Premier Spring Groups are:

Group A

Group B

Group C

The schedule is as follows:

Group Stage

Group A

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023
19/01/2023	HEROIC 15:00 Evil Geniuses	Match
19/01/2023	Vitality 19:05 Astralis	Match
21/01/2023	Evil Geniuses 16:40 Vitality	Match
21/01/2023	HEROIC 19:10 Astralis	Match
24/01/2023	Evil Geniuses 15:00 HEROIC	Match
25/01/2023	Vitality 18:50 HEROIC	Match

Group B

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023
20/01/2023	FaZe 12:00 Complexity	Match
20/01/2023	Liquid 14:25 OG	Match
22/01/2023	FaZe 15:00 OG	Match
22/01/2023	Complexity 18:25 Liquid	Match
24/01/2023	OG 18:20 Liquid	Match
26/01/2023	FaZe 15:00 OG	Match

Group C

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023
20/01/2023	G2 18:00 BIG	Match
21/01/2023	Natus Vincere 12:15 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
23/01/2023	G2 15:00 Natus Vincere	Match
23/01/2023	BIG 18:20 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
25/01/2023	Natus Vincere 15:00 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
26/01/2023	G2 17:35 Natus Vincere	Match

Knockout stage

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023
27/01/2023	Complexity 15:00 Evil Geniuses	Match
27/01/2023	BIG 19:10 Liquid	Match
28/01/2023	Astralis 15:00 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
28/01/2023	Natus Vincere 18:50 Complexity	Match
29/01/2023	HEROIC 15:00 BIG	Match
29/01/2023	OG 18:45 Astralis	Match