Falcons, FURIA Headline Thunderpick World Championship

Thunderpick will host an eight-team World Championship in Malta from Oct. 14–18 at the BLAST Arena studio, with a $1 million prize pool. Falcons and defending champions FURIA are among the top-five teams invited.

The full invite list includes Falcons and FURIA, FISSURE Playground 3 winners Legacy, top-10 side Aurora, South American team 9z, and Russian teams BETBOOM and PARIVISION. Virtus.pro secured the eighth spot by winning the closed qualifier.

Virtus.pro’s qualification returned the organization to the top 30 of the global VRS. The roster traveling to Malta retains only Vladimir b1st Krasikov and Vadim tO0RO Arkov from the lineup that competed at IEM Chengdu 2025; the other positions were changed after that event.

The tournament opens with two double-elimination groups to determine the four teams that advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket. Group matches and early playoff rounds will be best-of-three; the final will be best-of-five. The schedule runs across five days at the BLAST Arena.

Thunderpick noted the event is one of the last opportunities for teams to earn Valve ranking points before the Singapore Major invite cutoff on Nov. 2. The invited teams and the qualifier winner create a field that includes two top-five teams, one top-10 side, a recent regional champion and several ranked squads.

The World Championship returns to a studio setting in Malta following a season of regional and international events that have shaped the global ranking standings. Teams at the BLAST Arena will compete for the title, the $1 million prize pool and remaining ranking points ahead of the Major invite deadline.

Follow the latest CS2 developments and visit our CS2 skin market to see what is currently available.