Top-Tier Esports Teams to Compete in Ulaanbaatar

The Mongolian Esports Association (MESA) has secured the rights to host the prestigious S-tier esports tournament, “BLAST Premier Open” in Ulaanbaatar for three consecutive years. The inaugural tournament, featuring a total prize pool of $1.2 million, is scheduled to take place at the AIC Steppe Arena from 10 until 23 May 2027.

James Woollard, the Vice President of Market and Host City Relations at BLAST one of the world’s leading esports and media production companies, arrived in Mongolia to officially launch tournament preparations. During his visit, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ts. Munkhtuvshin, President of MESA.

The BLAST Premier Open is an elite-level esports event held twice a year in different host countries. Securing the hosting rights for the first-half edition of the tournament for three straight years marks a historic milestone that will drive tangible growth for the nation’s esports ecosystem.

To secure the rights for an event of this calibre, MESA demonstrated its international event management capabilities by hosting three international tournaments in Mongolia: the CS2 “MESA Nomadic Masters” and the Dota 2 “MESA International” with a combined prize pool of $450,000.

James Woollard highlighted that, alongside MESA’s proven organizational capacity, the quality of local infrastructure and venue accessibility played a decisive role in selecting Mongolia as the host nation.

A total of 16 teams will compete in the “BLAST Premier Open Ulaanbaatar 2027” at the AIC Steppe Arena. Eleven teams will earn direct invitations based on the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS), while the remaining five spots will be allocated through regional qualifiers: two for Asia, and one each for Europe, North America, and South America.

This marks a significant moment as fans in Ulaanbaatar prepare to experience a top-tier event in a global sport that commands an audience of over three billion people worldwide. Furthermore, the event is expected to attract hundreds of international fans arriving to watch top-tier teams compete, delivering a substantial boost to local tourism and the economy.