Rumor: Russian players may be barred from participating in BLAST Slam IV (Updated)

Update from 18.09.2025 15:00:

The only requirement is that the organization or team representative be registered in a jurisdiction where it is legal to enter into contracts and make international payments. The rules do not mention any restrictions for Russian players or teams.

Original news:

According to rumors, the organizers of BLAST Slam IV, RES, are considering introducing restrictions on participation in the tournament qualifiers. According to insider Bauyrzhan lilskrip Bisembaev, the restriction would apply to teams fully consisting of five Russian players, as well as clubs based in Russia. However, individual Russian players would still be allowed to participate in the tournament if they play for international teams.

At the moment, there is no official confirmation of the potential restriction. The open qualifiers for Europe will begin on September 22 and it is still unknown which teams will participate. Two winners will receive an invitation to the closed qualifier stage.

If the restriction is implemented, it would automatically exclude teams such as 1WIN Team, 4Pirates and any other rosters fully composed of Russian players.

It is worth noting that back in 2022, the tournament organizer BLAST banned Russian clubs from participating in its CS:GO (now CS2) championships. This forced many Russian teams to relocate their organizations to other countries.

Earlier, the organizers announced the list of invited teams for BLAST Slam IV, which includes PARIVISION and Team Spirit. Both teams have four Russian players in their rosters. It was also recently announced that the dates were adjusted so that the tournament does not overlap with FISSURE PLAYGROUND 2.

BLAST Slam IV will take place from 14.10.2025 to 09.11.2025 in Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Twelve teams will participate, and the event’s prize pool is $1,000,000.

Earlier, Cyberscore reported that Chiliz Group acquired OG Esports.