The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 kicks off this Wednesday, with eight teams attending to battle for a massive $850,000 prize pool. The event will occur in Malta from October 15 to October 19, featuring four of the world’s top ten Counter-Strike 2 rosters: TheMongolZ, Natus Vincere, FURIA, and Aurora. In addition to the top teams, several dark horses and underdogs will try their best to prove themselves internationally.
Here, we’ll break down the tournament format, introduce the teams, and highlight the favorites and underdogs to watch during the event.
Contents
Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Tournament Format
Group Stage
- Two double-elimination format (GSL) groups
- Each group has 4 teams
- All matches are Bo3
- Top two teams from each group advance to the Playoffs
Playoff Stage
- Single-Elimination bracket
- All matches are Bo3
Teams, Favorites & Underdogs of Thunder World Championship 2025
| TheMongolZ | Natus Vincere |
| FURIA | Aurora |
| 9z | Imperial |
| Venom | OG |
Three clear favorites stand out among the eight competitors: TheMongolZ, FURIA, and Natus Vincere.
- The MongolZ has been one of the most exciting teams in 2025, recently lifting a trophy and displaying confident, high-tempo Counter-Strike.
- FURIA has found its rhythm again, and its strong mix of aggression and tactical depth makes it a serious title contender.
- While Natus Vincere has not won a recent event, it remains one of the most experienced and disciplined squads in the field. They proved their potential by defeating TheMongolZ at ESL Pro League Season 22, showing they can rise against top-tier opposition.
Meanwhile, Aurora enters as a dark horse. Despite being ranked in the global top 10, their recent inconsistency has raised questions about their ability to perform under pressure.
The remaining teams — OG, 9z, Imperial, and Venom — are the tournament underdogs. While less experienced, these squads have the potential to surprise, especially if they’ve used their preparation time wisely, as top teams didn’t have that much time between the tournaments. A strong showing in the group stage could easily shift the momentum in their favor.
How to Watch Thunderpick World Championship 2025
The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 brings together top Counter-Strike 2 teams worldwide. Online qualifiers lead up to the grand LAN finals in Malta (October 15–19, 2025). Here’s how you can watch every match live.
All matches will be streamed live on Thunderpick’s official channels and partner platforms. Here’s the list:
- Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Twitch Official Stream
- Thunderpick World Championship 2025 YouTube Official Stream
- Thunderpick World Championship 2025 K1CK Official Stream
Who Will Take the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Trophy?
The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 is expected to be an exciting top-tier event, featuring a mix of world-class powerhouses and ambitious challengers.
While TheMongolZ, FURIA, and Natus Vincere enter as the clear favorites, Counter-Strike’s unpredictability means an underdog story could unfold.
Malta is set to host a thrilling week of CS2 competition. One thing’s certain: fans are in for a spectacular skill, strategy, and resilience showdown at the Thunderpick World Championship 2025.
