The Thunderpick World Championship Closed Qualifier Teams will be facing off in the last event before Malta. It runs from Sept. 9 to 11, boasting three days of non-stop Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action for fans to enjoy with us. The Closed Qualifier features a no-nonsense single-elimination bracket, where all matches are best-of-three, creating an exciting atmosphere where one mistake can send a team home.
With 16 teams competing for just four spots at the Main Event, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The TWC 2025 Main Event takes place on LAN in Malta from Oct. 15 to 19, where eight teams (four from the Closed Qualifier, and four Direct Invites) will compete for their share of the record-breaking $850,000 prize pool.
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We have fantastic talent leading CS2 esports fans through the tournament, ensuring you get the best coverage possible. Let’s take a look at all the CS2 teams competing at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier.
Heads-up: The VRS rankings referenced in this article reflect the updated standings as of Sept. 7, 2025.
M80
All eyes are on M80 following an incredible underdog run at BLAST Open London, where they beat NAVI, Virtus.pro, and Fnatic to make it all the way to the Playoffs, where MOUZ eliminated them in the Quarterfinals.
Ranked #25 on the VRS, M80 are punching above their weight as the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier begins. The squad earned a spot at this event by dominating the TWC NA Series 2, beating Chicken Coop, Getting Info, and Wildcard, all with 2-0 scorelines. M80 will face OG in the first round.
M80 roster:
- Michael “Swisher” Schmid
- Fritz “slaxz-” Dietrich
- Mason “Lake” Sanderson
- Jadan “HexT” Postma
- Elias “s1n” Stein (IGL)
- Rory “dephh” Jackson (Coach)
Legacy
The Legacy squad is loaded with exciting Brazilian players, and they’re also the highest-ranked team at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier (#20 on the VRS). They smashed their way through the TWC NA Series 1 event to earn a spot in our Closed Qualifier, topping Group A, and beating Getting Info, Wildcard, and finally, NRG, all with 2-0 scorelines. In fact, they didn’t drop a single map during the entire TWC NA Series 1!
Legacy will face JiJieHao in the opening match at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier.
Legacy roster:
- Bruno “latto” Rebelatto
- Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer
- Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco
- Vinicius “n1ssim” Pereira
- Lucas “lux” Meneghini (IGL)
- Olavo “chucky” Napoleão (Coach)
Imperial Esports
Brazilian side Imperial Esports will look to improve on their 5th-8th place finish at last year’s main event. At this year’s TWC SA Series 1, they beat Bounty Hunters 2-0, pulled off a reverse-sweep on BESTIA with a 2-1 score, and in the Grand Final, dispatched ODDIK with a 2-0 score.
The organization recently made a roster change, benching José “shr” Gil and acquiring skullz from FURIA on Aug. 20. Imperial Esports is set to face TNL in the first round.
Imperial Esports roster:
- Kaiky “noway” Santos
- Santino “try” Rigal
- Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
- Felipe “skullz” Medeiros
- Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo (IGL)
- Rafael “zakk” Fernandes (Coach)
9z Team
At the TWC SA Series 2, 9z Team impressed fans by defeating FURIA Fe 2-0, RED Canids with a 2-1 reverse-sweep, and ODDIK with a 2-0 score in the Grand Final to secure a spot at the Closed Qualifier. The organization then made significant roster changes, parting ways with Martinez and adamS, and then adding levi and urban0 to the active roster. 9z Team is currently ranked #53 on the VRS and will face BetBoom Team in the first round.
9z Team roster:
- Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibañez
- Luca “Luken” Nadotti
- Guilherme “levi” Godoy
- Lucas “urban0” Urbano
- Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez (IGL)
- Bruno “BIT” Lima (Coach)
Ninjas in Pyjamas
The iconic esports organization is fighting for a spot in the Main Event after earning an invite based on their VRS standing (#23). Ninjas in Pyjamas is one of the strongest sides at this event, currently playing with xKacpersky, on loan from ENCE. NiP will face Team Venom in the first round.
Ninjas in Pyjamas roster:
- Artem “r1nkle” Moroz
- Michel “ewjerkz” Magalhães
- Rasmus “sjuush” Beck
- Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara
- Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer (IGL)
- Richard “Xizt” Landström (Coach)
BetBoom Team
Russian side BetBoom Team, led by Major Championship winner Boombl4, sits at #19 on the VRS. The squad has found solid form, winning both the Exort The Proving Grounds Season 3 and the CCT Season 3 Europe Season 5 tournaments in August. They’ll face off against 9z Team in the first round at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier.
BetBoom Team roster:
- Pavel “s1ren” Ogloblin
- Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov
- Artem “ArtFr0st” Kharitonov
- Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov
- Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov (IGL)
- Artyom “RAiLWAY” Gradovich (Coach)
SAW
Portuguese team SAW is ranked #30 on the VRS. After making an impressive run at FISSURE Playground 1 for a 3rd/4th place finish, the squad added krazy and aragornN to the roster. SAW will kick off their Closed Qualifier journey by facing BIG.
SAW roster:
- João “story” Vieira
- André “Ag1l” Gil
- Adones “krazy” Nobre
- António “aragornN” Barbosa
- Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes (IGL)
- Tiago “SYDOX” Fonseca (Coach)
PARIVISION
Ranked #27 on the VRS, this all-Russian side is a powerful force on the server. PARIVISION is led by Major Championship winner (and MVP) Jame, wielding his trusty AWP. The squad recently won the ESL Challenger League Season 50 Europe Cup 1, and qualified for the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 main event. They’ll face ECSTATIC in the first round.
PARIVISION roster:
- Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy
- Emil “nota” Moskvitin
- Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov
- Andrey “AW” Anisimov
- Dzhami “Jame” Ali (IGL)
- Dastan “dastan” Aqbaev (Coach)
Nemiga
Nemiga is ranked #44, boasting a squad of hungry players ready for the Main Event. To get there, their first obstacle is ENCE. Nemiga added Sowalio to their roster on July 13 after one of their young players, Ivan “zweih” Gogin, joined Team Spirit.
Nemiga roster:
- Beksūltan “khaN” Ospan
- Maksim “riskyb0b” Churikov
- Kirill “Xant3r” Kononov
- Maksim “Sowalio” Beketov
- Aleksandr “1eeR” Nahornyj (IGL)
- Anton “boX” Burko (Coach)
OG
The team is slowly but surely climbing the world rankings, currently sitting at #31. OG is filled with talented players, and the latest addition is Portuguese rifler arrozdoce, who joined on Aug. 14. They’ll face M80 at the Closed Qualifier, which should be one of the most exciting first-round matchups.
OG roster:
- Olle “spooke” Grundström
- Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi
- Adam “adamb” Ångström
- Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing
- Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard (IGL)
- Lambert “Lambert” Prigent (Coach)
TNL
TNL, also known as Team Next Level, has quickly risen through the VRS. In March, they were outside the top 100, and now, they’re ranked #36! The TNL squad, filled with Ukrainian players, will face off against Imperial Esports in the first round.
TNL roster:
- Artem “cairne” Mushynskyi
- Artem “Flierax” Khioara
- Dmytro “nifee” Tediashvili
- Davyd “Dawy” Bibik
- Viktor “onic” Babii (IGL)
- Dmytro “jR” Chervak (Coach)
BIG
The German side BIG has always been an absolute force on the server. Despite their relatively low VRS ranking of #48, BIG can beat anyone on a good day, especially with the legendary IGL, tabseN, calling the shots. BIG will face SAW in the first round of the Closed Qualifier.
BIG roster:
- Karim “Krimbo” Moussa
- Jon “JDC” de Castro
- Marcel “hyped” Köhn
- David “prosus” Hesse
- Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz (IGL)
- Sebastian “xenn” Hoch (Coach)
ENCE
No one should dismiss ENCE’s chances of making it through our Closed Qualifier. Ranked #33 on the VRS, they won the EU Series 1 event in style, reverse-sweeping SINNERS Esports 2-1 in the Grand Final. With Ukrainian IGL at the helm, ENCE’s first challenge in this tournament is Nemiga.
ENCE roster:
- Paavo “podi” Heiskanen
- Ryan “Neityu” Aubry
- Ville “myltsi” Vilkman
- Rigon “rigoN” Gashi
- Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev (IGL)
- Niclas “enkay J” Krumhorn (Coach)
ECSTATIC
The full Danish roster of ECSTATIC shows a lot of promise. Ranked #35 on the VRS, this team is poised to tell an underdog story, particularly after signing AWPer acoR. We’re excited to see how ECSTATIC plays when they face PARIVISION in the opening round.
ECSTATIC roster:
- Anton “Anlelele” Huynh
- Martin “nut nut” Holm Vestergaard
- William “sirah” Kjærsgaard
- Frederik “acoR” Gyldstrand
- Thomas “TMB” Bundsbæk (IGL)
Team Venom
Ranked #49 on the VRS, all-Polish side Team Venom is one of the exciting underdogs competing in the Closed Qualifier. We’ll find out just how much bite Team Venom has when they face Ninjas in Pyjamas in the first round.
Team Venom roster:
- Alan “Flayy” Krupa
- Kamil “Sobol” Sobolewski
- Paweł “innocent” Mocek
- Konrad “Qlocuu” Klocek
- Oskar “hfah” Wroński
- Grzegorz “SZPERO” Dziamałek (Coach)
JiJieHao
Led by iconic Jordanian rifler ISSAA, known for playing with OG and Eternal Fire, JiJieHao shouldn’t be underestimated despite their #64 rank on the VRS. We can’t wait to see how JiJieHao plays when they face their first challenge at the Closed Qualifier: Legacy.
JiJieHao roster:
- Hussein “m1N1” Hijazi
- Bebu “bibu” Aadil
- Osama “0SAMAS” Orabi
- Maksat “kumao” Serik
- Issa “ISSAA” Murad (IGL)
- Mariusz “Loord” Cybulski (Coach)
Enjoy The TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier Action
Everything’s on the line for the 16 teams competing in the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier. Every team is just two consecutive match wins away from claiming a top-four finish, which will earn them a spot at the Main Event.
You can get in on the hype by watching the matches live on our YouTube or Twitch channels.
In case you missed any of the previous TWC events, here are the four direct invites we’ll see at the Main Event in October:
It’s been an incredible ride thus far, with many comebacks, fantastic matches, clutches, and beautiful plays. You can catch up on the online qualifiers with our in-depth recaps and highlights:
- Best Moments From NA Series 1
- Best Moments From NA Series 2
- Best Moments From SA Series 1
- Best Moments From SA Series 2
- Best Moments From EU Series 1
- Best Moments From EU Series 2
Check out our dedicated World Championship landing page and take a peek at the latest CS2 betting odds while you are at it! Don’t forget that you can place wagers on all the TWC matches with your preferred cryptocurrencies.
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