The excitement is palpable as the conclusion of the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2025 approaches, with our LAN finals set to take place in Malta from October 15 to 19. It’s been a thrilling ride, starting all the way back on April 28 with the first of six regional online events. Here’s everything you need to know on route to the TWC Finals 2025.
The road to Malta has been paved with stories of triumph, underdogs rising, and plenty of world-class plays. Join us in reliving the six TWC 2025 regional series and Closed Qualifier events.
TWC 2025 Regional Series Qualifiers Were Bangers
The journey to the TWC 2025 Finals began with six regional series online qualifiers, where teams competed for their share of the $25,000 prize pools (1st place gets $20,000, 2nd place gets $5,000). The main prize per qualifier, however, was a spot at the Valve-sanctioned Closed Qualifier.
Let’s take a look at what went down at the TWC 2025 Regional Series Qualifier events, which were, in our opinion, all incredible!
NAVI Junior Wins TWC 2025 EU Series 1
At the TWC 2025 EU Series 1 event (April 28 to May 7), 24 teams duked it out for a spot in our Closed Qualifier. As the tournament progressed through the Group Stage into the single-elimination Playoffs Stage, it was NAVI Junior’s time to shine.
In the Round of 16, NAVI Junior made quick work of Sashi Esports with a 2-0 (13-10 on Nuke, 13-5 on Ancient), and in the Semifinals, found a decisive 2-0 win (13-8 on Dust2, 13-8 on Ancient) over RUBY. NAVI Junior demolished Astrum with a clean 2-0 sweep (13-2 on Ancient, 13-5 on Mirage) to reach the Grand Final.
In the TWC 2025 EU Series 1 best-of-three Grand Final, ECSTATIC drew first blood, winning Inferno 13-9. On Ancient, ECSTATIC took a 7-5 lead in the first half, putting NAVI Junior on the brink of defeat. However, NAVI Junior bounced back, showcasing their resolve by winning Ancient 13-8. NAVI Junior closed out the series 2-1 by crushing their opponents 13-2 on Dust2, completing the reverse sweep to win the TWC 2025 EU Series 1 event.
Legacy Wins TWC 2025 NA Series 1
As the Wildcard invite to the TWC 2025 NA Series 1, Legacy impressed right from the start, topping Group A with a 2-0 record to earn a spot in the eight-team, single-elimination bracket Playoffs Stage.
In the Quarterfinals, Legacy showcased their power with a decisive 2-0 win over Getting Info (13-8 on Nuke, 13-7 on Anubis). Facing Wildcard Gaming in the Semifinals, Legacy put the pedal to the metal, with another strong 2-0 win (13-4 on Inferno, 13-9 on Nuke).
In the Grand Final, Legacy took an early 9-3 lead on Mirage before NRG stopped the bleeding, mounting a huge comeback. On the T side, NRG found nine rounds to tie the score 12-12, forcing overtime. Legacy stabilized to win Mirage 16-14 in overtime.
On Dust2, the teams were tied 6-6 at halftime. However, Legacy pulled ahead on the T side, winning seven rounds while NRG could only muster two on the CT side. Legacy closed out Dust2 with a 13-8 score and won the Grand Final 2-0.
Imperial Esports Wins TWC 2025 SA Series 1
Brazilian side Imperial Esports was one of the direct invites to the Playoffs Stage at TWC 2025 SA Series 1.
In the Quarterfinals, Imperial Esports were a force on Nuke and took an 8-4 lead, but Bounty Hunters recovered to tie the map 12-12, forcing overtime. Imperial Esports powered up in overtime with a 4-0 score to win Nuke 16-12.
Argentinian squad BESTIA won the first map, Dust2, with a 13-8 score in the Semifinals. However, Imperial Esports showcased their big-match temperament, bouncing back with a 13-10 on Mirage and a 13-8 on Nuke to complete the reverse-sweep comeback, earning a spot in the Grand Final.
In the TWC 2025 SA Series 1 Grand Final, ODDIK pulled ahead on Dust2 with an 8-4 score. But then Imperial Esports retaliated with nine rounds on the CT side to win the T-sided map 13-9.
On Anubis, Imperial Esports found an early 8-4 lead, and despite solid comeback attempts from ODDIK, Imperial Esports managed to close out the map 13-11, narrowly avoiding overtime. Imperial Esports beat ODDIK 2-0 in the Grand Final of the TWC 2025 SA Series 1 to earn a spot in the Closed Qualifier.
9z Team Wins TWC 2025 SA Series 2
9z Team kicked off their TWC 2025 SA Series 2 journey in the Group Stage. The squad beat Bounty Hunters 2-0 before getting smacked down by Flamengo in the Winners’ Match of Group B. 9z Team bounced back to beat Keyd Stars 2-0, securing a spot in the Playoffs Stage.
9z Team kept powering up as the tournament progressed, making quick work of FURIA Fe in the Quarterfinals with a clean 2-0 (13-5 on Inferno, 13-6 on Nuke). In the Semifinals, RED Canids got off to a 1-0 start, winning Mirage 13-9. However, 9z Team refused to go down, winning Ancient 13-10 and Train 13-9 to complete the 2-1 reverse sweep.
In the Grand Final, 9z Team clashed against ODDIK. On Ancient, both teams found 8-4 T-side halves for a 12-12 score, forcing overtime. After a quadruple overtime slugfest (the most ever in a TWC 2025 match), 9z Team narrowly won with a 22-20 score.
ODDIK simply ran out of steam on Nuke, with 9z Team taking a 9-3 lead in the first half, and finishing up proceedings with a 13-9 score to win the Grand Final 2-0.
M80 Wins TWC 2025 NA Series 2
At the TWC 2025 NA Series 2 event, M80 went on an absolute rampage. The squad received a direct invitation to the Playoffs Stage and made the most of it right from the start.
In the Quarterfinals, M80 dominated Chicken Coop Esports with a 2-0 (13-5 on Inferno, 13-3 on Mirage). M80 continued to steamroll Getting Info with a 2-0 (13-9 on Overpass, 13-5 on Ancient) to claim a spot in the Grand Final.
M80 faced Wildcard Gaming in the best-of-three Grand Final, and came out of the gate swinging. On Overpass, M80 found a commanding 9-3 lead in the first half and finished off the map 13-7.
With momentum on their side, M80 smashed Wildcard Gaming on Ancient with a 13-3 score, closing out the Grand Final 2-0. M80 won the TWC 2025 NA Series 2 without dropping a single map.
ENCE Wins TWC 2025 EU Series 2
The final regional online series event delivered on all fronts, with comebacks aplenty and a thrilling Grand Final. At the TWC 2025 EU Series 2, it was ENCE who barreled through the single-elimination Playoffs Stage with vigor.
In the Round of 16, ENCE defeated SPARTA Esports 2-0 (13-9 on Ancient, 13-9 on Mirage), and in the Quarterfinals, they secured a 2-0 win against Partizan Esports (13-10 on Mirage, 13-11 on Dust2). ENCE continued their clean streak with a 2-0 victory over Apogee Esports in the Semifinals (13-10 Ancient, 13-7 Mirage) to claim a spot in the Grand Final.
In the best-of-three Grand Final, it was SINNERS Esports who drew first blood, beating ENCE 13-7 on Nuke. The taste of defeat simply invigorated ENCE, who came back with a vengeance on Dust2 (13-5) and Mirage (13-5) to complete the 2-1 reverse-sweep comeback, winning the TWC 2025 EU Series 2 event.
Fates Decided At The TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier
To complete their journey to Malta, teams had to reach the top four in our Closed Qualifier.
With 16 teams fighting for just four spots at the TWC 2025 Finals in Malta, sparks flew right from the start. Here’s how each of the four teams made it through.
OG’s Journey To Malta
To punch their ticket to Malta, OG took out one of the favorites at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier, M80, with a solid 2-0 win (13-10 on Ancient, 13-10 on Overpass).
In the all-important second match against the German side BIG, OG won the first map, Nuke, with a score of 13-4. However, BIG retaliated with a strong 13-5 showing on Train, before OG closed out the series 2-1 with a dominating 13-2 win on Inferno.
Imperial Esports Journey To Malta
Imperial Esports got a spot in the Closed Qualifier for their win at TWC 2025 SA Series 1. In the first round at our Closed Qualifier, Imperial Esports scored a solid 2-0 win against Team Next Level (13-9 on Mirage, 13-9 on Overpass).
In the second round, with a spot at the TWC 2025 Finals on the line, Imperial Esports met Legacy in an exciting Brazilian derby.
Legacy won the first half of Inferno 8-4, and pulled ahead to a massive 12-4 lead. On the brink of defeat, Imperial Esports pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in TWC history, winning eight in a row to force overtime. In overtime, Imperial Esports won Inferno 16-14.
On Mirage, teams traded blows, but Imperial Esports managed to secure a close 13-11 victory. They were able to avoid another overtime to send Legacy packing 2-0 and claim a spot at the TWC 2025 Finals.
Team Venom’s Journey To Malta
As a huge underdog at the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier, Team Venom impressed and shocked fans watching across the globe.
In the opening round, NIP got off to a strong start on Dust2, but Team Venom clawed their way back for a 7-5 lead in the first half. In the second half, Team Venom closed out the map 13-7. On Nuke, the teams were dead even with a 12-12 scoreline after both managed to earn eight rounds on the CT side. In overtime, however, Team Venom struck first, winning 16-14 to eliminate NIP 2-0.
In the second round of the TWC 2025 Closed Qualifier, Team Venom took down Nemiga Gaming 2-0 (13-5 on Overpass, 13-7 on Ancient) to punch their ticket to Malta.
9z Team’s Journey To Malta
From winning the SA Series 2 to secure a spot in the Closed Qualifier, 9z Team fought tooth and nail to reach Malta.
In the opening round, 9z Team pulled off a fantastic reverse-sweep against one of the favorites. On Nuke, BetBoom Team won 13-8, but 9z Team bounced back with a 13-10 on Train and a 13-11 on Dust2 to complete the comeback.
In the second round, 9z Team took care of business against PARIVISION, with a decisive 2-0 win (13-4 on Ancient, 13-9 on Train), to secure a spot at the TWC 2025 Finals.
Teams Competing At TWC Finals 2025
The four teams from the Closed Qualifier have punched their tickets to Malta, where they’ll compete with four teams that received direct invitations based on their VRS standings as of August 2025. The direct invite teams are defending champions The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, NAVI, and FURIA.
Get acquainted with the teams competing at the TWC 2025 Finals by checking out the complete and up-to-date rosters, noting the in-game leader (IGL) and coach of each squad.
The MongolZ roster:
- Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold
- Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch
- Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold
- Ayush “mzinho” Batbold
- Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren (IGL)
- Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat (Coach)
NAVI roster:
- Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi
- Mihai “iM” Ivan
- Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov
- Drin “makazze” Shaqiri
- Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen (IGL)
- Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi (Coach)
Aurora Gaming roster:
- İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş
- Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın
- Özgür “woxic” Eker
- Samet “jottAAA” Köklü
- Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli (IGL)
- Sezgin “Fabre” Kalaycı (Coach)
FURIA roster:
- Yuri “yuurih” Boian
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Danil “molodoy” Golubenko
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (IGL)
- Sidnei “sidde” Macedo (Coach)
OG roster:
- Olle “spooke” Grundström
- Nico “nicoodoz” Tamjidi
- Adam “adamb” Ångström
- Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing
- Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard (IGL)
- Lambert “Lambert” Prigent (Coach)
9z Team roster:
- Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibañez
- Luca “Luken” Nadotti
- Guilherme “levi” Godoy
- Lucas “urban0” Urbano
- Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez (IGL)
- Bruno “BIT” Lima (Coach)
Imperial Esports roster:
- Kaiky “noway” Santos
- Santino “try” Rigal
- Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
- Felipe “skullz” Medeiros
- Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo (IGL)
- Rafael “zakk” Fernandes (Coach)
Team Venom roster:
- Alan “Flayy” Krupa
- Kamil “Sobol” Sobolewski
- Paweł “innocent” Mocek
- Konrad “Qlocuu” Klocek
- Oskar “hfah” Wroński
- Grzegorz “SZPERO” Dziamałek (Coach)
See You At The TWC 2025 Finals
At Thunderpick, we are in maximum hype mode for the TWC 2025 Finals. We are thankful to all the fans, teams, talent, and everyone behind the scenes for making the road to Malta such an incredible journey.
We can’t wait to crown a champion at the LAN in Malta, which runs from Oct. 15 to 19, powered by tournament operator GAM3RS_X and data partner GRID Esports. Don’t forget to check out Hotspawn, our official media partner, for interviews and lots of bespoke content!
You can stay up-to-date with every second of the action at our dedicated Thunderpick World Championship hub, explore our CS2 betting section, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel while you’re there!
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.