International esports tournament organizer BLAST announced Thursday that BLAST Premier Rivals is set to take place at Monterrey, Mexico. BLAST Premier Rivals Monterrey represents the very first tier-one Counter-Strike 2 competition hosted within the country to-date. The global competition will feature a total prize pool of $1M USD and will be hosted at Escenario GNP Seguros, in Pabellón M.
“We know that the esports and gaming industry today represents an audience of billions of people worldwide, with an economic impact exceeding $200 billion annually,” said Emmanuel Loo, Deputy Secretary of Investment, Ministry of Economy. “We also know that Mexico boasts the number one gaming market in Latin America, with over 76 million people and revenues surpassing $7 billion in the past year. For these reasons, we are fully convinced that championing and advancing the agenda to establish Nuevo León as the esports and gaming hub of Latin America will bring a series of economic, technological, cultural, and social benefits to the Nuevo León community.”
BLAST said in a release that the event is projected to generate $12.5 million USD in economic impact/local investment. Should the event prove successful, it could also have the benefit of proving that the city is a good place to host future esports and gaming events with major IPs and brands. BLAST is being supported locally by events company Liga Ace.
The first two days of the event will be played behind closed doors, before the Escenario GNP Seguros, at Pabellón M, opens its doors to fans for three days of Counter-Strike 2 competition. BLAST Premier Rivals Monterrey begins on April 30 and runs until May 4, with the in-person event taking place May 2-4, at Escenario GNP Seguros, at Pabellón M, Monterrey, Mexico.
More details and ticketing information can be found at Blast.tv.