Esports and live events operator says it stayed profitable in 2025 and plans 15 arena events across 13 cities in 2026.

BLAST has opened a New York City headquarters in Brooklyn as the company reported record growth and profitability in 2025, including more than $133 million in revenue and over 40% year-over-year growth.

The new U.S. headquarters is located at 45 Main Street in Brooklyn within a shared 55,000-square-foot office space. BLAST said the hub will support partnerships, live events and commercial growth across North America as it expands its U.S. operations.

The North American push is being led by Chief Business Officer Leo Matlock, who has relocated to New York, alongside Steve Rossi, who joined earlier this year as SVP of Brand Partnerships. BLAST said its U.S. team has grown to eight full-time employees.

BLAST said it has staged seven tier-one esports events in North America over the past 16 months, across Austin, Fort Worth, Boston, Raleigh, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The company cited “more than $102 million” in economic impact from the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major alone, including more than $9 million in hotel expenditures. It also recently announced the Rocket League World Championship will return to Fort Worth in September 2026.

In 2025, BLAST said its broadcasts delivered more than 2 billion live views globally and 300 million hours watched, spanning live events in 22 cities worldwide. The company also said it distributes content via 29 broadcast partners, including SuperSport, France TV and RTBF, reaching audiences in more than 150 territories and 30+ languages.

“Competitive entertainment has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in global media because it combines community, technology and live experiences in entirely new ways,” said Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST. “The next generation of fans want entertainment that feels participatory, social and global by default. That shift is creating enormous opportunities for brands, publishers, creators and host cities, and we believe BLAST is uniquely positioned to help lead that evolution after a landmark year in 2025.” BLAST said it plans to host 15 arena events across 13 cities and three continents in 2026.

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India has qualified for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 VALORANT main event after advancing through the Asia regional qualifiers. The nation-based tournament runs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2 to 29, with VALORANT scheduled for November 8 to 15.

The Asia qualifier featured nine teams in a double-elimination bracket, with best-of-one matches until the upper- and lower-bracket finals, which were best-of-three. India opened with a 13-2 win over Nepal, then dropped to the lower bracket after a 5-13 loss to Japan. The team then eliminated Pakistan (13-9) and Mongolia (13-10) before securing qualification by beating Hong Kong 2-0 (13-10, 13-6).

India’s roster includes in-game leader Sagnik Roy (Hellf) alongside Abhirup Choudhury (Lightningfast), Aman Yadav (Hoax), Venkatesh Sharma (Venky), and Daivik Chauhan (Dc). Norbu Tsering (Karam1L) and Shravana Sahoo (Techno) are listed as substitutes, with Abhishek Bajaj (GodspeedxD) named as coach. NODWIN Gaming is India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for ENC 2026.

Venky led the Asia qualifiers in eliminations with 117 across India’s six matches, according to the organiser. The company also said more than 100,000 viewers watched the Asia qualifier finals across co-streams and official ENC broadcasts.

Speaking about the qualification, Sagnik Roy (Hellf), IGL of India’s VALORANT team, said, “This qualification means a lot because of what it represents for India’s VALORANT scene. After the loss against Japan, we knew we had to reset quickly and focus on one game at a time. Every player stepped up when it mattered, and our ability to stay composed under pressure helped us turn things around. The growth of the game’s ecosystem over the last few years has created a pool of players capable of competing at the highest level, and this team is a reflection of that progress. Every international opportunity helps push the ecosystem forward and inspires the next generation of competitors. We are excited to compete at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup and want to make the most of this chance.”

ENC 2026 VALORANT will feature 32 national teams competing for a USD 1.5 million (~INR 14 crore) prize pool. Sixteen teams were invited via ENC Rankings based on official Riot Games competition results, with 14 places decided through regional qualifiers. The United Arab Emirates has a Host Region Wildcard, and one Solidarity Wildcard slot remains, due to be announced at the end of August once qualifiers conclude.

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