BLAST names Circuit X to run North American Porto qualifiers

BLAST has appointed Circuit X to operate the North American Open and Closed Qualifiers for the BLAST Porto Counter-Strike 2 event. Circuit X will deploy its tournament infrastructure alongside the FACEIT platform to run matches, manage brackets and handle player and team logistics.

BLAST Porto 2026 is scheduled for Aug. 26–Sept. 6 with a $1.1 million prize pool. The 16-team main phase will begin in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the final matches will take place in Porto, Portugal, Sept. 4–6. The North American qualifiers will determine which regional teams earn spots in the main stage.

Under the agreement, Circuit X will fully operate both the Open and Closed qualifier stages for the North American region. The company will cover administrative and operational tasks and integrate its systems with FACEIT for matchmaking and anti-cheat, bracket management and scheduling.

Circuit X is led by CEO Carlos Passow and has expanded operations in Brazil and Latin America. Past events include Circuit X Retake São Paulo (2025) and 2026 activations Circuit X Pantanal Cuiabá, Circuit X Mayhem São Paulo and Circuit X Base Recife, which featured domestic teams such as paiN Gaming, Fluxo and 9z.

BLAST said the partnership aims to strengthen competitive Counter-Strike across North and South America by delivering professional, reliable and scalable competitive environments. Circuit X described the agreement as proof of the platform’s ability to support partners and expand opportunities for players and teams across the Americas.

The agreement outsources BLAST’s North American qualifying operations to Circuit X while using the FACEIT platform for established matchmaking and anti-cheat infrastructure.