Las Vegas backs US$2m deal to host BLAST's 2028 Counter-Strike Major

Las Vegas has moved a big step closer to hosting its first Counter-Strike Major. On Tuesday 10 November, the city's tourism authority approved a US$2 million sponsorship agreement with BLAST covering two events in 2028. The headline event is the second Major of that year, provisionally scheduled for 20 November to 10 December.

The board of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) approved the agreement with BLAST ApS at its meeting at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and members reportedly had no questions for staff. The vote lets the authority's President and CEO, Steve Hill, sign the contract. The full amount will come from the LVCVA's fiscal year 2028 budget.

What the US$2m deal covers

The money is formally called a sponsorship, but it comes from a public tourism body. In return, the LVCVA receives a package of rights and benefits for both tournaments:

• Host city designation and hosting rights for both BLAST events
• Global digital, broadcast and destination marketing assets
• Hospitality and ticket allocations, although the board documents do not give exact numbers

The second event in the package is a summer 2028 BLAST competition at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Its game, format and dates have not been revealed, so it is not yet clear whether Counter-Strike fans will have two reasons to visit the city that year.

Why late November suits Las Vegas

Board documents place the Major between Thanksgiving and the National Finals Rodeo, a stretch the authority calls a 'key need period' in its calendar. Big events in that window help fill hotels when demand would otherwise be softer. The provisional window of 20 November to 10 December was first set in 2025.

The LVCVA estimates that the two tournaments together will generate around 130,000 hotel room nights. Its benchmark is the 2025 Austin Major. According to BLAST, Austin sold more than 45,000 tickets, around 80 per cent of ticket holders came from outside Texas, and the event generated roughly US$102 million in economic impact.

BLAST's third Major and a growing US footprint

Majors are the two Valve-endorsed championships held each year and the most prestigious events in Counter-Strike. If the plan goes ahead, Las Vegas would be BLAST's third Major after Paris in 2023 and Austin in 2025. It would bring the Major back to the United States three years after the Texas event and be the first one held in Las Vegas.

BLAST has been building up its American calendar. Dickies Arena in Fort Worth hosted the first season of BLAST Rivals 2026 in May, and BLAST also ran the Rocket League World Championship there. In October, BLAST announced a US Open event for September 2027, taking the slot first set aside for the second season of Bounty.

What comes next

Neither BLAST nor Valve has formally announced the Las Vegas Major, and the venue and final dates are still to be confirmed. No details on tickets, format or the summer event have been released yet.

Several Majors come first. PGL's Singapore Major begins on 24 November 2026, Buenos Aires hosts the first Major of 2027 from 31 May to 20 June, and Shanghai stages the second from 22 November to 12 December 2027. ESL is reported to have the other 2028 Major, but its host city has not been confirmed.