BLAST Slam V: Format, Schedule, Fixtures and More

It seems like yesterday the last edition was still underway, and we are already back with BLAST Slam V. This edition brings the tournament to a new host region in China, along with a fresh lineup of invited and qualified teams.

The twelve initial teams will once again be filtered through three stages, and only half of them will reach the Playoffs. Let’s take a look at the tournament’s organization while we provide a full schedule for the Group Stage and highlight the most exciting matchups to keep an eye on!

Will the home turf advantage make a difference for Chinese teams? — Credit: BLAST

BLAST Slam V: Lineup

Starting from the beginning, the BLAST Slam V will feature a lineup of 12 teams, just like the previous edition. Teams are divided based on how they qualified. Here’s the full list and how each team earned its spot:

• Xtreme Gaming (Host Region Representative)
• Team Falcons (Direct Invite)
• Tundra Esports (Direct Invite)
• Team Yandex (Direct Invite)
• OG (Direct Invite)
• Team Tidebound (Direct Invite)
• Yakult Brothers (Direct Invite)
• Heroic (American Qualifiers)
• MOUZ (European Qualifiers)
• Natus Vincere (European Qualifiers)
• Tearlaments (Chinese Qualifiers)
• Execration (Southeast Asian Qualifiers)

BLAST Slam V: Organization

The BLAST Slam V uses the same structure as the last tournament. If you’re not familiar with the new format, here’s a summarized breakdown:

• Group Stage — A round-robin format with best-of-one matches. The top two teams advance directly to the Playoff Semifinals.
• Last Chance Playoff — Teams that placed 9th to 12th in groups will battle for a spot at the Play-In. Two matchups. Winner goes forward, loser is eliminated. All matches are best-of-three from this point on.
• Play-In Stage — Teams that finished 3rd to 8th get one more shot at advancing to the playoffs. Four matchups. Winner goes to Playoffs Quarterfinals, loser is eliminated.
• Playoffs & Grand Finals — Single elimination, best-of-three matches, except the Grand Finals, which will be best-of-five.

The Group Stage starts on November 25 and runs until November 29. The Last Chance Playoff and the Play-In will both take place on November 30. The Playoffs begin on December 5 and continue through December 7.

BLAST Slam V: Talent

The broadcast lineup is similar to what we saw during BLAST Slam IV. The main host will once again be Natalie "NatTea" Mahoney. There is a tweet featuring an image that lists most of the talent roster.

This time, Zhang "Dove" Tiange will pair up with NatTea as the Arena Host instead of Sheever. Meanwhile, Quinn "Quinn" Callahan returns as an analyst, making fans worldwide very happy to see him active in the professional scene — even if not as a player.

Group Stage Schedule

The Group Stage consists of five days of nonstop action. If you want to follow the best matches each day, here’s the chronological schedule (GMT) to keep you on track.

BLAST Slam V — November 25th

• 14:00 — Team Falcons vs. Yakult Brothers
• 14:00 — Team Yandex vs. Natus Vincere
• 15:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Heroic
• 15:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Execration
• 16:00 — OG vs. Yakult Brothers
• 16:00 — Natus Vincere vs. Team Tidebound
• 17:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. MOUZ
• 17:00 — Team Falcons vs. Heroic
• 18:00 — Team Tidebound vs. Tearlaments
• 18:00 — OG vs. Execration
• 19:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Team Yandex
• 19:00 — MOUZ vs. Natus Vincere
• 20:00 — Team Falcons vs. Team Tidebound
• 20:00 — Tearlaments vs. Execration

BLAST Slam V — November 26th

• 14:00 — MOUZ vs. OG
• 14:00 — Heroic vs. Team Yandex
• 15:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Natus Vincere
• 15:00 — Team Tidebound vs. Execration
• 16:00 — Team Falcons vs. OG
• 16:00 — Team Yandex vs. Tearlaments
• 17:00 — MOUZ vs. Heroic
• 17:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Execration
• 18:00 — Yakult Brothers vs. Tearlaments
• 18:00 — OG vs. Team Tidebound
• 19:00 — Team Falcons vs. Xtreme Gaming
• 19:00 — MOUZ vs. Team Yandex
• 20:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Tearlaments
• 20:00 — Natus Vincere vs. Yakult Brothers

BLAST Slam V — November 27th

• 14:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Heroic
• 14:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Natus Vincere
• 15:00 — Team Yandex vs. Yakult Brothers
• 15:00 — MOUZ vs. Team Tidebound
• 16:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Tearlaments
• 16:00 — Heroic vs. Execration
• 17:00 — Team Falcons vs. Tundra Esports
• 17:00 — Team Yandex vs. Team Tidebound
• 18:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. OG
• 18:00 — Heroic vs. Yakult Brothers
• 19:00 — Tundra Esports vs. MOUZ
• 19:00 — Team Falcons vs. Natus Vincere
• 20:00 — OG vs. Tearlaments
• 20:00 — Yakult Brothers vs. Execration

BLAST Slam V — November 28th

• 14:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Xtreme Gaming
• 14:00 — Team Falcons vs. Execration
• 15:00 — Team Yandex vs. OG
• 15:00 — Heroic vs. Team Tidebound
• 16:00 — MOUZ vs. Execration
• 16:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Yakult Brothers
• 17:00 — OG vs. Natus Vincere
• 17:00 — Heroic vs. Tearlaments
• 18:00 — Team Falcons vs. MOUZ
• 18:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Yandex
• 19:00 — Team Tidebound vs. Yakult Brothers
• 19:00 — Natus Vincere vs. Tearlaments

BLAST Slam V — November 29th

• 14:00 — Tundra Esports vs. Team Tidebound
• 14:00 — Team Falcons vs. Team Yandex
• 15:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Yakult Brothers
• 15:00 — MOUZ vs. Tearlaments
• 16:00 — Tundra Esports vs. OG
• 16:00 — Heroic vs. Natus Vincere
• 17:00 — Team Falcons vs. Tearlaments
• 17:00 — Team Yandex vs. Execration
• 18:00 — Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Tidebound
• 18:00 — MOUZ vs. Yakult Brothers
• 19:00 — Heroic vs. OG
• 19:00 — Natus Vincere vs. Execration

Matches to Watch

Tundra vs. Yandex — November 25th

On the first day, Tundra Esports will face Team Yandex in the Group Stage. Both teams performed well in recent events. Tundra are the defending champions, and Yandex performed especially well at FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2.

MOUZ vs. Heroic — November 26th

The duo of rising stars meets again, but MOUZ and Heroic are now in very different phases of their journey. While Heroic took off early and seems to be slowing after placing 7th at PGL Wallachia, MOUZ enters with renewed motivation after becoming champions.

Falcons vs. Tundra — November 27th

Despite their 8th-place finish in Wallachia, Tundra Esports remain strong contenders. They were the only team to defeat Team Falcons after The International 2025. Now, they’ll face each other again as Tundra defends their crown at the BLAST Slam V.

Falcons vs. MOUZ — November 28th

After proving themselves in battle and conquering Wallachia, MOUZ now faces the final boss: Team Falcons. The Falcons return to action after a short break and are likely the main threat to ending MOUZ’s impressive win streak.

Xtreme vs. Tidebound — November 29th

The last day features a Chinese classic with Xtreme Gaming facing Team Tidebound. This edition of the BLAST Slam features a high number of Chinese teams, but it’s unlikely that all of them will make it to the Playoffs. This matchup may be the key indicator of who will carry the region’s hopes forward.

Closing Thoughts

The BLAST Slam V begins with an already compelling narrative. Tundra Esports will attempt to defend their three-time championship run and possibly become the first four-time champions. Team Falcons will once again clash with the seemingly unshakable Tundra wall in pursuit of payback.

MOUZ will play their first tournament as Tier 1 champions and test their might against Team Falcons. China has a third of the lineup, but competition will be fierce — and just like in Highlander, when it comes to a Chinese representative, there can be only one.

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Featured Image Source: BLAST