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Another run to the Grand Final and a huge tournament in 2021

Already this week, the last tournament of 2020 begins. With a prize pool of $500,000: IEM Global Challenge is one of the biggest tournaments of the year, but Astralis Counter-Strike has already reached one of the season's most important goals: Qualification for the BLAST Global Finals in January 2021 with a total of $1,000,000 dollars on the line.

Despite the Grand Final loss against Vitality at BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Finals, Director of Sports Kasper Hvidt is satisfied with the development and looks ahead with optimism:

- BLAST Global Finals in January was one of our big goals this season. We are not playing for the money but with 1 million dollars on the line this is one of the most prestigious tournaments and we are now qualified for it. Before DreamHack Winter we decided on a goal to win at least one more tournament this year. We did that with DH and of course we want more now.

- We don't like losing but we have to say that Vitality is a great team and they really made the six man roster work. In our case playing to important BO3's back-to-back is not ideal when we use so many resources on preparations.

- It's our own fault really because we went through the lower bracket and knew the conditions that came with it. Still a great tournament run and a good performance by the team. Now all focus is on the last big tournament on the 2020 calendar: IEM Global Challenge. If we can perform just as well in that tournament we have a shot at another top result and one more trophy.

So far six teams have qualified for the prestigious BLAST Global Finals:

• Astralis
• Complexity
• Vitality
• Evil Geniuses
• NAVI
• G2

2020 needs to be wrapped up first with IEM Global Challenge's $500,000 prize pool where the following teams fight for the lion's share:

• Astralis
• Vitality
• Heroic
• NAVI
• BIG
• Furia
• Complexity
• Team Liquid

The last two spots at BLAST Global Finals will be filled by either Furia, OG, Team Liquid, Heroic or BIG depending upon their performance at IEM Global Challenge which begins December 15 through December 20.

At the IEM Global Challenge, all six players in the Astralis Counter-Strike roster will be playing together from the Astralis HQ in Copenhagen.

BLAST Global Finals takes place from January 18 through January 24, 2021.