BLAST announced its 10-person broadcast team on November 5 for BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 2 in Hong Kong.
The competition brings together eight teams competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool. It will also be the final BLAST Premier event of 2026.
Who is on the broadcast team?
BLAST's lineup covers desk hosting, interviews, arena presentation, analysis, and match commentary. Four personalities will handle hosting and interviews, two will work as analysts, and four will call the matches.
| Broadcast personality | Role |
|---|---|
| Natalie “NatTea” Mahoney | Desk host and interviewer |
| James “BanKs” Banks | Desk and show host |
| Mike “DarfMike” Winnick | Arena host |
| Kin Fung “stelight” Chan | Arena host |
| Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg | Analyst |
| Donald “voo” Parkhurst | Analyst |
For NatTea, Hong Kong will be her fourth BLAST event. Her previous appearances were at Open Rotterdam, Bounty Summer, and Open Porto. DarfMike shares arena duties with Hong Kong host stelight.
The analyst desk will examine team performances, tactical decisions, and results across the group stage and playoffs. Mauisnake and voo are assigned to that desk, separate from the four-person commentary lineup.
Eight teams and a six-team playoff bracket
Vitality, FURIA, MOUZ, Spirit, Falcons, G2, FUT, and Legacy make up the field. FURIA return as defending champions of the previous Hong Kong edition after beating Falcons 3:1 in the 2025 final.
The group stage uses two double-elimination groups, with every group-stage match played as a best-of-three series. Six teams advance to the playoffs, with their group placement determining where they enter the bracket:
- Group winners advance directly to the semifinals.
- Second- and third-place teams enter the quarterfinals.
The playoffs use a single-elimination bracket, and the Grand Final will be a best-of-five. A group winner therefore needs one semifinal victory to reach the championship match; teams entering the quarterfinals need two playoff wins.
Rivals Season 2 is one of the last major international tournaments before PGL Major Singapore 2026, which begins on November 25.
