Thunderpick World Championship 2025: Malta LAN Teams Locked In

Eight teams are headed to Thunderpick World Championship 2025 in Malta for Oct 15-19. Four made it the hard way through the Closed Qualifier; four were invited off VRS and prestige. Format is tight: two GSL groups into a single-elimination playoff, all Bo3. Small field, high pressure, zero room to drift.

Here are the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 teams that we’ll see clash in Malta.

The Four Teams Who Made it The Hard Way

The Thunderpick Closed Qualifier ran Sept 9-11 and it wasn’t a formality. It produced real upsets and four worthy survivors: OG, Imperial, Venom, 9z.

CS2 Team Venom qualifies for Thunderpick World Championship 2025 — Team Venom from Poland qualifies fot TWC 2025. Players (left to right): flayy, hfah, innocent, Qlocuu, Sobol

OG cut through M80 then outmuscled BIG to punch their ticket. Chr1zN’s impact was the headline as they closed the door on one of the bracket’s biggest names.
Venom gave me the underdog story I was hoping for. They swept Ninjas in Pyjamas and then thumped Nemiga. Without dropping a single map. I really hope they do well in Malta.
Imperial went clean through TNL and then won a bruising Brazilian derby vs Legacy, powered by chelo and noway in key rounds.
9z upset BetBoom 2-1 and then shut down PARIVISION 2-0, continuing their surge since adding levi and urban0. Second LAN of 2025 secured.

Casualties tell you how volatile it was: NiP, BIG, BetBoom, ECSTATIC all missed the flight. That’s not noise-that’s a qualifier doing its job.

The Invites Aren’t Just Names On a Poster

Thunderpick invited team players (left to right): AleksiB, FalleN, M4J3R, Techno4k — Image credit: Thunderpick

The four direct invites are The MongolZ, Natus Vincere, FURIA, Aurora – and every one of them can win this tournament on the right week.

The MongolZ are the obvious headliners: defending Thunderpick champs and fresh off an Esports World Cup win. The core of bLitz, Techno4K, 910, mzinho, Senzu brings pace and discipline, which is a nasty combo in short events. They’re the bar everyone else has to clear.
Na’Vi arrive with AleksiB, b1t, iM, w0nderful, makazze. Legacy brand, modern look. Their ceiling depends on tightening mid-rounds and letting w0nderful dictate space with the AWP. You don’t invite NAVI to a small LAN and expect them to be passengers.
FURIA are a different beast now: yuurih and KSCERATO still farm space, FalleN steers, YEKINDAR brings aggression, and molodoy adds pop. When the T halves flow, they’re a momentum machine.
Aurora show up with firepower-XANTARES and Wicadia rifling, woxic on the big green, MAJ3R calling. If their mid-rounds hold together, they can crack anyone. Don’t let the “dark horse” tag fool you.

The Early Verdict

The MongolZ - Champions of Thunderpick World Championship 2024 — Image credit: Thunderpick

Calling MongolZ the favorite isn’t lazy – it’s earned – but this field won’t roll over. NAVI have the pieces to grind out clutch maps. FURIA can snowball halves when their protocols hit. Aurora are a bad draw for anyone who needs time to warm up. OG and 9z bring match sharpness and real confidence. That “we just beat people who were supposed to beat us” energy often translates in week-of practice and openers.

What makes this LAN spicy is how evenly matched the mid-pack looks. There isn’t a “free” opponent in Malta. If the MongolZ blink, they’ll get punished. If the invites underestimate the qualifiers, they’ll pay for it. And if the bracket serves up an early clash between two giants, the door opens wide for someone else to steal the spotlight.