An upcoming Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) event called The Draft is set to take place in late January 2024 in collaboration with NODWIN Gaming, as announced by BLAST. The tournament will provide an opportunity for major Counter-Strike 2 teams from India and Pakistan to compete with Tier 1 players on a global stage, with a substantial prize pool of $50,000. A total of 128 teams will battle for the glory of their nation in the tournament.
The Draft offers 12 spots for each group, with teams competing online for the chance to participate. The top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super Six LAN event in February, to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Each team will be assigned a Counter-Strike legend as a mentor through a unique draft method, allowing local talent to gain experience and knowledge from the best in the game.
To mark the beginning of the tournament, True Rippers Esports from India and Team WahWah from Pakistan will face off in a showmatch at the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 in Abu Dhabi. Two BLAST Premier players chosen by the audience will be drafted for each showmatch squad.
Fans of Counter-Strike 2 around the world can watch the showmatch on December 17, 2023, at 9:30 pm IST via BLAST’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. Additionally, they can join watch parties hosted by various streamers in different languages.