BLAST Pro Series will be bringing a world class CS:GO tournament to Istanbul for the first time, and we now know the date – June 23rd.

Set to take place at the Ülker Arena in the ancient city, six of the world’s top teams will compete live on stage for a share of the $250,000 (£177,369) prize pool and the BLAST Pro Series trophy. Tickets go on sale on April 2nd, with the Ülker Arena able to host upwards of 13,000. The arena is owned and operated by Fenerbahçe S.K.

The confirmed teams are SK Gaming, NiP, FaZe Clan, Astralis, Space Soldiers and Cloud9. This makes it a seriously competitive tournament and, moreover, it also gives it a local feel with Turkish org Space Soldiers.

RFRSH Entertainment, the company behind the BLAST Pro Series which has also taken place in Copenhagen, has promised a ‘monstrous set-up with multiple jumbo screens, hundreds of moving lights and amazing surround sounds to the event itself’. RFRSH has been busy in recent times, and announced plans to open a London office earlier this month.

FaZe Clan’s Finn ‘Karrigan’ Andersen said of the event: “BLAST Pro Series is one of the most exciting events I’ve ever been to. It’s action-packed world class entertainment from the doors open to the confetti bonanza when the trophy is lifted.

“When we played in Copenhagen, we were blown away by the set-up and the way it was all set up to engage the audience. They created an insane atmosphere, and should I ever go to watch a live tournament as a fan, BLAST would certainly be up there among the favourites. It’s really, really intense, and I really want to lift that Golden A Trophy in Istanbul.”

Cloud9’s Tarik ”tarik” Celik, who’ll be playing in his native country, commented: “I am so excited to bring my team mates to Istanbul to show them the city and introduce them to the amazing people there. Winning the Major was the biggest thing in my life, but being able to go and participate in an event like BLAST Pro Series in the country of my parents.

“It will be an amazing experience, and we will do everything to make the fans proud. We have never been to BLAST before, but from everything we’ve seen and heard it’s the best event you can imagine and we can’t wait to play on that stage in front of that audience!”

Esports Insider says: We’ve been waiting for the announcement of this one. With some impressive teams involved and a date at the Ülker Arena, which has hosted the likes of Leonard Cohen and WWE, we’re sure Istanbul will enjoy its first taste of a major esports tournament.