At the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Attard, Malta, the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 (TWC) came to a thrilling conclusion. With incredible talent taking fans through all the top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action, the LAN finals exceeded our expectations. Missed out on watching the nail-biting CS2 esports action live? No problem, we’ve got you covered!
Join us in celebrating the best moments from the TWC 2025 Finals, starting in the Group Stage and focusing on the journey of the two finalists, FURIA and NAVI, who set the stage ablaze in Malta.
FURIA Tops Group A, The MongolZ Survives
Brazilian powerhouse FURIA and the TWC 2024 defending champions, The MongolZ, were the favorites to top Group A and earn spots in the Playoffs Stage. In the opening matches of the double-elimination format GSL-style groups, both favorites flourished.
FURIA took care of business against OG with a solid 2-0 win (13-10 on Nuke, 13-9 on Mirage). The MongolZ demolished 9z Team with a very clean 2-0 (13-3 on Dust2, 13-5 on Ancient).
In the Winner’s match of Group A, sparks flew as FURIA and The MongolZ clashed. FURIA managed to win the first map, Dust2, after a double-overtime slugfest with a 19-15 score. On Mirage, FURIA avoided overtime with a 13-11 win, sweeping The MongolZ 2-0.
9z Team pulled off an exciting reverse-sweep comeback against OG in the Elimination match (7-13 on Train, 13-8 on Nuke, and 19-16 on Ancient) with double overtime required on the final map to secure a 2-1 win.
In the Decider match of Group A, The MongolZ managed to beat 9z Team with a 2-0 score (13-7 on Nuke, 13-11 on Ancient) to stay alive in the TWC 2025 Finals, and earn a spot in the Playoffs Stage.
NAVI Goes Flawless in Group B, Aurora Bounces Back
In the opening match of Group B, one of the favorites, NAVI, nearly suffered defeat at the hands of Brazilian side Imperial Esports. On Mirage, Imperial Esports drew first blood, with a solid 13-10 win. NAVI woke up on Nuke with a convincing 13-4 display, and completed the 2-1 reverse-sweep comeback with a decisive 13-8 win on Dust2.
Turkish powerhouse Aurora Gaming, one of the top-ranked teams at the TWC 2025 in Malta, managed to overcome the exciting underdog squad, Team Venom, with a 2-0 (13-11 on Nuke, 13-7 on Overpass) win.
In the Winner’s match, Aurora Gaming came out swinging, smashing NAVI with a 13-4 on Nuke. NAVI didn’t break under the pressure, however, as Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen rallied the troops to win Mirage 13-6, and avoided overtime on Dust2 with a narrow 13-11 win to reverse-sweep Aurora Gaming.
Team Venom managed to send Imperial Esports packing with a close and exciting 2-1 victory (13-6 on Train, 5-13 on Overpass, and 13-11 on Dust2) in the Elimination match of Group B.
In the Decider match of Group B, Aurora Gaming put an end to Team Venom’s underdog story with a 2-1 victory (13-2 on Nuke, 4-13 on Overpass, and 13-6 on Mirage) to secure a spot in the Playoffs.
FURIA Smashes Aurora Gaming
Led by the legendary two-time Major Championship winner Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, and invigorated by their clean performance in the Group Stage, FURIA took the stage in Malta with momentum on their side.
On Aurora Gaming’s map pick of Train, it was FURIA who put the pedal to the metal, going up 9-3 in the first half. Despite a comeback attempt from the Turkish side, FURIA stopped the bleeding for a 13-11 win, narrowly avoiding overtime.
FURIA’s map pick of Overpass showed just how solid the Brazilian side’s form is, as they took a 7-5 lead on the T side in the first half of play. Teams switched sides, and FURIA stunned Aurora Gaming by winning six CT rounds in a row to close out Overpass 13-5 for a 2-0 series win, securing a spot in the TWC 2025 Grand Final.
NAVI Overcomes The MongolZ
With a spot in the Grand Final on the line, defending champions The MongolZ clashed against NAVI in the best-of-three Semifinals match.
The Mongolian side got off to a solid start (7-5) on the T side of their map pick, Mirage. In the second half, The MongolZ found the Pistol and converted for a 9-5 lead. NAVI managed to not only stop the bleeding but mount a comeback on the T side, winning eight rounds in a row to go up 1-0 in the series with a 13-9 win on Mirage.
On NAVI’s map pick, Nuke, it was The MongolZ who claimed a massive 9-3 lead on the CT side, and finished up the map with four T side rounds in a row for a dominating 13-3 score, forcing a third map.
The deciding map, Ancient, saw NAVI claim a narrow 7-5 lead on the CT side. Teams traded blows in the second half of play, with NAVI narrowly coming out on top to close out the map 13-10, and the series 2-1 for a spot in the TWC 2025 Grand Final.
The MongolZ & Aurora Battle For Third
With a podium finish and a $70,000 prize difference on the line, The MongolZ and Aurora Gaming took the stage for our TWC 2025 third-place decider match, and both teams delivered.
The battle for third place was a heated affair right from the start, with Aurora Gaming’s map pick of Inferno too close to call in regulation. Overtime was required for Aurora Gaming to come out on top with a 16-14 win.
On Mirage, The MongolZ’s map pick, Aurora Gaming found an 8-4 lead on the CT side. As teams switched sides, however, it was The MongolZ who dug deep to make a comeback, winning Mirage 13-10.
Nuke was the third and deciding map in the series, with both sides going toe-to-toe, trading blows in regulation. It was too close to call, with a score of 12-12, requiring overtime to find a winner. The MongolZ narrowly defeated Aurora Gaming in overtime on Nuke, with a final score of 16-14, to claim the bronze at TWC 2025.
A Reverse-Sweep In The TWC 2025 Grand Final
NAVI and FURIA took the stage in Malta to fight in a best-of-five Grand Final for the coveted trophy and the lion’s share of the enormous prize pool. With everything on the line in the culmination of the TWC 2025 tournament, the atmosphere was electrifying.
On NAVI’s map pick, Mirage, Aleksib made some fantastic calls on the T side to take a commanding 10-2 lead in the first half, and on the CT side, finished off proceedings with a 13-6 score.
FURIA’s first map pick of Inferno didn’t go their way, as NAVI claimed a solid 13-9 victory. With the win on Inferno, NAVI took a 2-0 lead in the series and were just one map away from lifting the TWC 2025 trophy. But FURIA had other ideas.
On Nuke, NAVI’s map pick, FURIA took an 8-4 lead on the CT side in the first half, and kept their lead on the T side to secure a 13-9 win. With a bit of momentum building, FURIA took an 8-4 lead on the T side of Dust2, and finished the map with a convincing 13-5, giving NAVI no room to breathe.
In the fifth and deciding map, Train, there was no stopping the FURIA express. The Brazilian side barreled through NAVI on the CT side for an insurmountable 11-1 lead, and finished off the map with a 13-1 scoreline. With the win on Train, FURIA completed the dramatic reverse-sweep comeback to win the TWC 2025 Grand Final with a score of 3-2. Congratulations!
FURIA Roster & MVP
FURIA earned their second top-tier LAN trophy of the year. Led by the two-time Major Championship winner Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, FURIA proved to be an unstoppable force on the server.
At the tip of FURIA’s mighty spear was rifler Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, who was named the MVP for his outstanding performance throughout the entire event. Across all 11 maps played, KSCERATO had a 1.18 rating. It was one of KSCERATO’s best performances in a LAN event of this stature, helping him earn his first-ever MVP.
In the TWC 2025 Grand Final, KSCERATO topped the scoreboard with a 1.21 rating, an ADR of 88.6, and a K-D ratio of 74-60, propelling FURIA to their historic reverse-sweep comeback.
FURIA roster:
- Yuri “yuurih” Boian
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Danil “molodoy” Golubenko
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (IGL)
- Sidnei “sidde” Macedo (Coach)
Final Standings & Winnings At TWC 2025
Here are the final standings and winnings from the TWC 2025 Finals.
| Placement | Team | Team Prize Money | Club Prize Money |
| 1st | FURIA | $200,000 | $300,000 |
| 2nd | NAVI | $60,000 | $90,000 |
| 3rd | The MongolZ | $28,000 | $42,000 |
| 4th | Aurora Gaming | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| 5th-8th | 9z Team | $8,000 (each) | $12,000 (each) |
| Team Venom | |||
| OG | |||
| Imperial Esports | |||
| Total | $850,000 | ||
Earlier this year, the six regional qualifiers each had $20,000 prize pools, with $15,000 going to the winners and $5,000 to the runners-up. Therefore, the total prize pool for the entire TWC 2025 event, from the online qualifiers all the way to the LAN finals in Malta, had a massive $1,010,000 prize pool, the largest ever offered by a bookmaker!
Thank You For Making TWC 2025 Possible
We couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved, from those in front of the camera to everyone working diligently behind the scenes. The third iteration of our annual event blew us away, powered by tournament operator GAM3RS_X and data partner GRID Esports, while media partner Hotspawn delivered fantastic content.
You can relive all the thrilling TWC 2025 Finals action via our YouTube channel, and be sure to like and subscribe!
Our annual event returns in 2026, so stay tuned to our Thunderpick World Championship hub and our esports blog for the latest news.
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