Media: Austin Major onwards to drop RMRs, expand teams

HLTV is reporting this morning that the upcoming 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major will be the first without the traditional Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events or even a qualifying Minor. Additionally, the upcoming Major and those in the future will expand from 24 teams to 32. It is not yet known how the distribution will be decided.

This decision likely follows the implementation of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system that will be in place beginning in 2025. BLAST has already announced a new tournament structure that aligns with the upcoming shift and dissolution of partnered leagues. Invites are expected to be primarily based on the ranking produced by Valve.

With the transition to 32 teams, the format of the Major will also need to change. HLTV sources have told the publication that an additional Swiss stage will be added to the Major, complementing the existing Opening and Elimination stage. This will likely add an additional four days of competition days to the event.

Majors have continuously evolved since the first Valve-sponsored event in 2013. Originally, 16 teams were invited or qualified to the event until that was expanded to 24 with the 2018 Boston ELEAGUE Major. However, only 23 teams took part due to visa issues. The format and naming have also evolved over time, with the introduction of the Swiss System in 2017 and the transition from Challengers and Legends stages to Opening and Elimination.