We’re beyond excited to kick off the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2026. The first step is the TWC 2026 North American NA Series , where some of the region’s best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams will compete for a coveted spot in the main event.
Here’s everything you need to know about the format, schedule, and where to watch, followed by a full breakdown of all competing teams.
TWC 2026 NA Series Schedule, Format & Stream
The TWC 2026 NA Series runs from April 26 to May 3, providing eight days of non-stop action.
The two distinct stages of competition begin with the Group Stage (April 26 to 30), featuring two GSL-style groups of four teams each. The bottom four will get eliminated, while the top four from the Group Stage will advance to the Playoffs Stage to join the four direct-invite teams.
In the Playoffs Stage (May 1 to 3), the eight remaining squads will face off in a thrilling single-elimination bracket, where all matches are best-of-three.
All the TWC 2026 NA Series matches are broadcast live on twitch.tv/thunderpicktv and youtube.com/@Thunderpickesports. The tournament is Presented by Hotspawn, with GRID Esports as the data partner.
Important note: Rankings mentioned in this article reflect the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as of April 22, with the Americas filter applied.
M80
The only new addition to the team that won the TWC 2025 NA Series 2 event is ex-Wildcard rifler, JBa. Given their performance at the previous TWC regional qualifier, M80 is one of the favorites to go all the way at the NA Series.
M80 is currently ranked #6 on the VRS Americas and #26 on the VRS Global leaderboards. They’ve received a direct invite to the Playoffs Stage.
M80’s most recent success was at DraculaN Season 6, where they beat Monte 2–1 with a reverse-sweep comeback in the Grand Final (April 2). During the Playoffs Stage of DraculaN Season 6, they also defeated Turkish powerhouse Aurora Gaming with a 2–1 reverse-sweep victory.
M80 roster:
- Michael “Swisher” Schmid
- Fritz “slaxz-” Dietrich
- Mason “Lake” Sanderson
- Joshua “JBa” Barutt
- Elias “s1n” Stein (IGL)
- Rory “dephh” Jackson (Coach)
Wildcard
Wildcard made a few recent roster changes, benching Jaxon “Peeping” Cornwell, acquiring Cxzi from Marsborne, promoting splawik as their new head coach, and signing nEMANHA as their new IGL.
With these roster changes in mind, Wildcard is a true “wildcard” squad, which might just demolish the opposition or fall flat in the single-elimination Playoffs Stage. The team received a direct invite to the Playoffs Stage of TWC 2026 NA Series, and is currently ranked #18 on the VRS Americas leaderboard.
Wildcard roster:
- Jadan “HexT” Postma
- Ethan “reck” Serrano
- Daniel “cxzi” Strzelczyk
- Milosz “mhL” Knasiak
- Nemanja “nEMANHA” Đukić (IGL)
- Lukasz “splawik” Jahns (Coach)
BOSS
Ranked #28 on the VRS Americas leaderboard, BOSS has earned a direct Playoffs invite. They claimed a respectable third place at Fragadelphia York 2026 and posted a 3–1 record in the Group Stage of the Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 7, solid results against North American competition.
BOSS roster:
- Keller “SLIGHT” Nilan
- Brendan “Bwills” Williams
- Mark “marekiew” Petrov
- Chance “WUMBO” Boyer
- Ben “ben1337” Smith
Please note: The BOSS lineup is subject to change, with ben1337, marekiew, and WUMBO reportedly signed by Marsborne.
Zomblers
Thanks to their VRS Americas ranking as of March 20, Zomblers received our final direct invite to the Playoffs Stage of NA Series.
Zomblers recently finished 3rd–4th at the Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 7, showing solid form before losing 2–0 in the Semifinals to eventual winners, insane players. If experienced IGL, CAJUN, makes solid calls, and AWPer Pose1doNN keeps hitting those shots, Zomblers could go all the way.
Zomblers roster:
- Connor “CoolComs” Barnes
- Nikolaos “Pose1doNN” Antoniou
- Colton “FxRE” Thrasher
- Ben “HAMBOOGA” Wetrich
- Andrew “CAJUN” Guidroz (IGL)
- Ryan “Heckster” Heck (Coach)
- Muhammad “Mellow” Ali (Stand-In)
FarmVille
FarmVille enters as an exciting mix of promising North American talent. Featuring the Canadian duo of calamity and BeaKie, this squad has the potential to pull off some crazy plays.
FarmVille is currently ranked #47 on the VRS Americas leaderboard. They’ll begin their journey in the Group Stage.
FarmVille roster:
- Brody “BeaKie” Kelly
- Christopher “cJ dA K1nG” Jones
- Stanley “calamity” Chiu
- Aibek “sleepz0rk” Zhumabekuly
- Pishoy “den1ed” M
- Adam “Adam” E (Stand-In)
insane players
With ogwizard wielding the AWP with the utmost precision, and rifler Wolfie clicking heads to top the leaderboards, the North American stack of “insane players” made their presence felt at the recent Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 7.
Currently ranked #35 on the VRS Americas leaderboard, insane players won Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 7, beating Aether 2–1, Zomblers 2–0, and Akimbo 2–0 in the Grand Final. They lost only one map during the entire event, making them a lethal squad to face on the server.
insane players roster:
- Bogdan “ogwizard” Savula
- Adam “Freshie” Paterson
- Kyle “Wolffe” Greenfield
- Samuel “sml” Oliveira
- Gavin “Fruitcupx” Norman
InControl
Sitting at #36 on the VRS Americas leaderboard, InControl has been climbing the ranks. Led by US player TyRa, with Canadian AWPer Scorchyy on the “Big Green,” InControl starts in the Group Stage.
At the ESL Challenger League Season 51: North America Cup #3 early in April, InControl claimed the top spot by reverse-sweeping F5 for a 2–1 victory. With momentum on their side, InControl may just make it to the NA Series Playoffs.
InControl roster:
- Justin “jsfeltner” Feltner
- Brett “Scorchyy” Coolen
- William “aelor” Africano
- Anthony “ayaneuu” Scheuer
- Ty “TyRa” Aron (IGL)
- Caedon “M.A.D.” Zube (Coach)
- Jeremy “BiNoX” Chiasson (Stand-In)
Aether
Aether recently added a young Ukrainian player, H0NeST, to the roster. The new addition is an exciting prospect for a team filled with United States talent.
On the VRS Americas leaderboard, Aether is ranked #38. You’ll get to watch them compete in the Group Stage, and possibly the Playoffs Stage, if veteran North American rifler brett can lead his team to some Group Stage victories.
Aether roster:
- Chance “xaler” Palmer
- Andrew “Andrew” Burrell
- Sebastian “Seb” Dietrich
- Nazar “H0NeST” Stefinko
- Brett “brett” Rhein (IGL)
- Erich “Ninja” Beyer (Coach)
- Jason “s3rum” Zheng (Stand-In)
Shimmer
After the sunsetting of the ESL Impact League last year, all-female squad Shimmer is ready to compete at the NA Series. Shimmer starts in the Group Stage and is currently ranked #72 on the VRS Americas leaderboard.
In April, the squad reformed under the Shimmer banner, as their contracts with Sakura Esports expired. If there’s one team that can recover from these setbacks, it’s Shimmer, led by Stx.
Shimmer roster:
- Lucy “empathy” Verkaik
- Sylvie “Serendipity” Splaver
- Alice “alicerawr” Hewitt
- Ava “AVA174” Dunn
- Wrenna “Stx” Trampel (IGL)
girl kissers
Starting in the Group Stage, the “girl kissers” stack is relatively unknown as a team. They boast three female players, violet, lunari, and madss, who’ve put up strong performances at the ESL Impact League in previous years.
As a new stack, girl kissers doesn’t have an official ranking on the VRS Americas leaderboard at the time of writing.
girl kissers roster:
- Violet “violet” Carfora
- Kevin “kevin” D
- Riley “lunari” Luna
- Marissa “madss” Dasta
- Austin “TeXaSs” Berget
incognito
There’s no official VRS Americas ranking for incognito, making the team an unknown entity that may just claim some big Ws.
Under the name “Chicanery” at the Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series 7, the core of micro, juna, and Tender earned three wins and qualified for the Playoffs Stage. With the new stack formed, fans should keep a close eye on incognito in the Group Stage.
incognito roster:
- Tommy “Axed” Ryan
- Wesley “viz” Harris
- Jack “micro” Ryan
- John “juna” Rogel
- Andrew “Tender” Cote
Overknight
Ranked #89 on the VRS Americas leaderboard, Overknight is an underdog at the TWC 2026 NA Series. And that’s just part of why we’re excited to see what they can do on the server.
Overknight is also filled with talented players, including Colombian entry fragger, spamzzy, calling the shots. They’ll start their journey in the Group Stage.
Overknight roster:
- Jose Luis “Majesticzz” Salazar
- Taylor “4TAYLOR” Calvo
- Jorge Alberto “b1” Treviño
- Arturo Morales “AMC” Carrasco
- Andrés “spamzzy” Correa (IGL)
- Francisco “vanilla” Mejia (Stand-In)
TWC 2026 Begins!
TWC 2026 NA Series kicks off the road to the Thunderpick World Championship, where teams will battle through regional qualifiers and the Closed Qualifier before reaching the main event in Malta. With a $1 million prize pool on the line, every match matters.
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