Thunderpick World Championship 2026: format and participants

The Thunderpick World Championship 2026 for CS2 with a prize pool of $1,000,000 starts in Malta on October 14. Eight teams will play the title in the format of BO3 groups with double elimination (GSL), from which two of the best teams will advance to the Single-Elimination playoffs with a BO5 final.

The favorites of the tournament from top 10 VRS are Falcons, FURIA, Aurora and Legacy, with captain arT returning to the roster after an illness. Also on the LAN will play BB Team, 9z, PARIVISION and NIP, who replaced Virtus.pro due to visa issues.