Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals: Teams, Format, and What to Expect from the CS2 Tournament in Malta!

You’ve probably noticed how important Counter-Strike 2 is in the eSports scene from the amount of Blaze blog coverage — and it’s time to get ready for another major event: the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals, taking place from October 15 to 19!

Attard, Malta, will be the stage for this championship, with matches held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre. Organized in partnership with GAM3RS_X and GRID Esports, the Thunderpick World Championship is a Tier 1 Valve event featuring eight elite organizations.

To help you prepare, we’ve put together this complete guide to this short but thrilling tournament — just four days long! Remember that all Odds mentioned in this content may change as bets are placed, and serve only as indicators of favoritism, not as promises or guarantees of results.

What is the format of the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals?

Once the eight participating organizations are confirmed, they are divided into two groups of four, using the Swiss System to pair teams of similar skill levels. All matchups are played in Best of 3 (Bo3) format, with up to three maps deciding the winner.

The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals begin with the Group Stage, played in a Double-Elimination format. This means that teams losing their first Upper Bracket match will have a second chance in the Lower Bracket.

After that, the top two teams from each group advance to the Playoffs, where the format switches to Single Elimination — lose once, and you’re out!

Map Pool for the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals

Each organization will field both Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists across seven total maps: Inferno, Mirage, Dust2, Ancient, Nuke, Train, and Overpass. The first two are actually the most popular maps in the competitive scene, according to Premier Games.

The map selection follows the usual process: teams vote to remove two maps they don’t want to play on. This adds an extra layer of tension to every matchup!

Before the tournament begins, the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals page lists Inferno and Mirage as the maps bettors expect to see the most, with Odds of 3.25 and 3.5. Next come Dust2, Ancient, and Nuke, with 5.0, 5.5, and 6.5. Overpass is seen as an unlikely pick for most matches, with a 26.0 probability, while Train sits at 21.0.

Prize Pool for the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals

Operated by GAM3RS_X and powered by data from GRID Esports, the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals will feature a total prize pool of USD 340,000, distributed among the eight participating organizations.

The champion will take home US$ 200,000, the runner-up will earn US$ 60,000, and the third and fourth places will receive US$ 28,000 and US$ 20,000 respectively. Teams eliminated in the Group Stage will each earn US$ 8,000.

Schedule for the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals

Starting on October 15, the Group Stage will run through October 17. The Knockout Stage will then take place from October 18 to 19. That means the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals will deliver four intense days of high-level CS2 action!

Who will play in the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals?

With eight teams divided into two groups, half of the spots were decided based on the August 4 update of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). The other four spots were determined through the Closed Qualifier, played from September 9 to 11.

Check out the teams in each group for the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals below:

Group A

The MongolZ

Qualified by finishing fourth in the Valve Regional Standings with 1,805 points, the Mongolian team is the main Counter-Strike 2 powerhouse in Asia. Current champions of both the Thunderpick World Championship and the Esports World Cup, The MongolZ are coached by maaRaa and feature bLitz, Techno4K, 910, mzinho, and Senzu.

FURIA

Leaders of the Americas and ranked sixth globally with 1,680.9 points, FURIA arrives confident after winning the FISSURE Playground #2 title. Led by sidde, the Brazilian organization will fight for the championship with a strong lineup featuring yuurih, KSCERATO, molodoy, YEKINDAR, sidde, and the legendary FalleN.

OG

After defeating the American team M80 and Germany’s BIG during the Closed Qualifiers, the Danish squad OG is looking to regain the form that earned them the Skyesports Masters 2024 title. Coached by Lambert and sponsored by Red Bull, their lineup includes Chr1zN, spooke, nicoodoz, adamb, and arrozdoce.

9z

Another team from the Closed Qualifier, Argentina’s 9z eliminated the Russian BetBoom and Serbia’s PARIVISION to secure their spot. Fresh off their Thunderpick South American League #2 title, the team is captained by BIT and features max, HUASOPEEK, Luken, levi, and urban0.

Group B

Natus Vincere

Fifth in the VRS with 1,787.6 points, the Ukrainian powerhouse Natus Vincere ranks as Europe’s fourth-best team at the moment. Champions of last year’s Esports World Cup, their lineup includes captain B1ad3, b1t, Aleksib, iM, w0nderful, makazze, and B1ad3.

Aurora Gaming

Runners-up of the Esports World Cup, Aurora Gaming currently rank as Europe’s eighth-best team. With a fully Turkish roster, captain Fabre leads XANTARES, MAJ3R, Wicadia, woxic, and jottAAA.

Imperial Esports

After defeating Ukraine’s NEXT LEVEL and Brazil’s Legacy, Imperial Esports arrives with three titles in the season: the FERJEE Circuit, FiReLEAGUE Buenos Aires, and Thunderpick South American League #1. Ranked 43rd in the VRS, the Brazilian squad includes VINI, noway, try, chelo, skullz, and captain zakk.

Team Venom

Completing Group B, Team Venom earned their spot after eliminating Finland’s ENCE and Cyprus’s Nemiga Gaming during the Closed Qualifiers. Ninth place in the European Series #8 of CCT Season 3, the Polish organization aims to rise in the CS2 scene with Flayy, innocent, Sobol, Qlocuu, hfah, and captain SZPERO.

Who are the favorites at the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals?

You can already place your bets on who will win the tournament before it even begins by visiting the Competitions tab in the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals hub. Two teams share the top spot in pre-tournament odds: The MongolZ and FURIA, with 2.85 and 3.0 respectively.

Natus Vincere and Aurora Gaming are tied at 5.0, indicating that both are expected to at least reach the knockout stage. Following them are OG at 34.0 and Imperial Esports at 41.0.

Meanwhile, 9z is seen as an unlikely champion, with an outright winning odd of 67.0 suggesting an underdog status — ahead only of Team Venom, whose 76.0 odd would make them one of the biggest upsets in recent CS2 history if they manage to win the tournament.

Who will be the HLTV MVP?

The race for the tournament’s best player is heating up! According to bettors, the favorite for the HLTV MVP award is Senzu from The MongolZ, with an odd of 5.5. Two FURIA players follow closely behind: KSCERATO and Molodoy, both with 6.0.

Next is XANTARES from Aurora Gaming with 8.0, followed by Mzinho from The MongolZ with 9.5. In sixth place are B1t and W0nderful from Natus Vincere, both at 11.0. Rounding out the list are YEKINDAR from FURIA and Woxic from Aurora Gaming, each with odds of 15.0.

Where to watch the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals?

Before locking in your picks and marking your calendar, don’t forget to choose where to watch the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals. The English broadcast will be available on Thunderpick’s Twitch, YouTube, and Kick channels.

Bet on Counter-Strike 2 at Blaze!

Now you know everything about the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals! If you want to have fun betting on this major Counter-Strike 2 tournament, you’re all set — Ordinance MESP No. 36 authorizes betting on the event in Brazil.

Study data, statistics, and CS2 competitive rules to plan your bets wisely — and check out our eSports betting guide for more tips. Understand all the risks to your mental and financial health, betting responsibly for entertainment and never with money you can’t afford to lose.

Ready for the thrill of one of the biggest games in the eSports scene? Bet on the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals at Blaze responsibly — and good luck!