16 teams vie for one Malta spot at Thunderpick qualifier

Sixteen teams have accepted invites to the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 closed qualifier, with the winner earning the lone remaining spot at the $1,000,000 LAN final in Malta. The qualifier will be held online; the successful team will join invited sides at the live event in Malta.

Ninjas in Pyjamas are among the invited teams and will attend the qualifier with new in-game leader Karim “Krimbo” Moussa. Other invited organisations include HEROIC and 100 Thieves.

Wildcard and BESTIA are the only non-European teams in the field, while the rest of the bracket is made up of European sides. Organisers released the invited line-up as part of the tournament’s qualification pathway.

Seven additional slots at the Malta LAN will be decided by invites tied to the VRS event on August 3. The closed qualifier is the final route for teams that did not receive direct invites to the main event.

Organisers did not publish a match schedule or detailed format when confirming the invited teams. Matches will be played online to determine the single qualifier for Malta.

The Malta LAN will host invited teams and the closed qualifier winner to contest the tournament’s $1,000,000 prize pool.