Thunderpick World Championship 2026 Preview
The Thunderpick World Championship 2026 takes place from October 14-18 with the world's best eight Counter Strike 2 teams battling it out in Malta.
Team Falcons, FURIA, Legacy and Aurora Gaming are the main teams to watch ahead of the event, which is one of the most competitive no the calendar.
Team Falcons head to Malta as the main title contenders and the team to beat, but the raw quality of the outsiders ensures that even the reigning Major champions will not have it all their own way.
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 Format
Thunderpick World Championship will take place from October 14 to 18 and is divided into two stages.
The action begins with all eight squads split into two GSL-format groups of four, where they’ll play a series of best-of-three games to determine which two teams per group will proceed to the playoffs.
The playoffs transition to a single-elimination bracket, with the semifinals and the third-place match played as best-of-three and the grand finals as best-of-five.
Group Stage
- Eight CS2 teams
- Two GSL-format groups of four
- All games are best-of-three
- Top two teams per group proceed to the playoffs
Playoffs
- Four teams
- Single-elimination bracket
- Semifinal and the third-place decider are best-of-three
- Grand final is best-of-five
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 Betting Odds & Rankings
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team Falcons | 2.40 |
| Legacy | 3.80 |
| FURIA | 4.40 |
| Aurora Gaming | 6.30 |
| BetBoom Team | 12.00 |
| 9z Team | 14.00 |
| PARIVISION | 15.00 |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 25.00 |
Sitting atop the power rankings are no other than the reigning Major champions, Team Falcons, who head to Malta as the team to beat.
Falcons are always a threat to win any big event, largely because they have one of the most stacked rosters in the scene.
This has helped them win the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major; however, since then, they’ve been unsuccessful in their quest to hoist another trophy.
Struggling with consistency, Falcons have also become known for slipping against elite teams. There won’t be any of the world’s best squads in attendance at the Thunderpick World Championship, suggesting Falcons’ chances of going all the way are higher.
However, there are plenty of squads who can give Falcons a run for their money.
Legacy are in a similar spot to Falcons, having shown glimpses of greatness but largely failing to challenge elite teams.
Unlike Falcons, however, Legacy have managed more deep tournament runs in the last few months, including a gold medal from FISSURE Playground #3, making them the most in-form team in the field.
FURIA are never to be underestimated as a team that can step up and challenge anyone on a good day. But their form of late has been underwhelming, and until they find some traction, their chances of winning an event should be put under a big question mark.
Out of the more dangerous outsiders, Aurora Gaming stand out as the most potent.
They’ve been somewhat inconsistent, but since the more recent roster changes, Aurora have looked potent.
Aurora Gaminghave recently finished third in the ESL Pro League Season 24, and that is a very solid form guide of what they’re capable of.