The Thunderpick World Championship returns to Malta this October for its fourth edition. A young event already has a record to carry into that competition: three different champions, a former winner who returned to the podium, and a final settled by a reverse sweep. Its next chapter begins with an eight-team field and another five-day championship.
FaZe Clan won the inaugural edition in 2023. The MongolZ followed in 2024 by beating HEROIC in the final, before FURIA succeeded them in 2025 with victory over Natus Vincere, usually shortened to NAVI. Those first three championship results give each edition a different winner, with the latest title belonging to the Brazilian organization.
The history of the Thunderpick World Championship series extends beyond the main finals. Its regional calendar connects competition in Europe, North America, and South America with a September closed qualifier and an October championship. The dated schedules for 2025 and 2026 show that longer cycle, while also recording changes to the regional program between consecutive editions.
The 2025 regional schedule contained two series in each of the three regions. For 2026, Europe and South America again had two scheduled events, while North America had one. That produces five regional competitions in the current schedule, compared with six in the previous year’s April-to-August program.
Region
2025 scheduled dates
2026 scheduled dates
North America
May 8–16; July 24 to August 1
April 26 to May 3
Europe
April 28 to May 7; August 5–14
May 23–31; July 25 to August 2
South America
June 27 to July 2; July 8–13
June 24–28; July 8–12
Both schedules place regional competition across several months. In 2025, the listed European program ran from late April to mid-August; the 2026 regional dates stretched from late April to early August. The finals occupy a shorter October window within that annual calendar.
The order of the opening regional events changed between years. Europe came first in 2025, with North America’s first series following in May. The 2026 schedule put North America first, followed by Europe and then South America. Europe’s second series also moved from August to a window beginning in July, while South America’s second event again began on July 8. The same regions remain represented across a different sequence of dates.
The closed qualifier was scheduled for September 9–11 in 2025 and September 9–13 in 2026. The championship’s 2025 Malta dates were October 15–19. The current edition returns to the same country on a revised October schedule, with the regional events and qualifier preceding it. Both Malta editions span five days, with the 2026 finals starting and ending one day earlier in October than the 2025 event.
The final regional events were scheduled to end on August 14 in 2025 and August 2 in 2026. Both calendars placed the qualifier’s start on September 9, leaving a longer gap in 2026.
The MongolZ’s 2024 title remained relevant to the next edition because the team returned and finished third. In 2025, they beat Aurora to secure that position. FURIA and NAVI occupied the first two places, with Aurora fourth.
That finishing order put a previous champion behind two different finalists. The MongolZ’s return gave the third edition a connection to the second, while FURIA’s victory added another organization to the winner list. None of the first three champions had won a second title by the end of 2025.
Venom, 9z, Imperial, and OG completed the rest of the 2025 field. Together with the leading four teams, they made an eight-team championship. The forthcoming edition retains that field size, although its final participant list has undergone a late change.
NAVI won the opening two maps of the 2025 final, leaving them one map from the championship. FURIA then won the remaining three to take the series 3–2. That is the reverse sweep: the eventual winners recovered from the opening deficit without dropping another map.
The deciding map ended 13–1 to FURIA. The final had used the full five-map distance, yet its last map ended with the champions conceding only one round. The 3–2 series score records the map wins; 13–1 records the rounds within the decider.
FURIA needed all three remaining maps after falling behind. Winning the third kept the final alive, winning the fourth leveled it, and winning the fifth secured the trophy. The comeback gave the third edition a specific match sequence alongside the earlier titles.
The 2026 championship is scheduled for October 14–18 in Malta. Its eight teams will compete in two double-elimination groups before single-elimination playoffs.
A first group-stage series defeat leaves a team in contention; a second ends its route through that stage. Once the playoffs begin, a series defeat ends the championship bid. The tournament therefore moves from groups that permit one loss into knockout matches deciding who can still reach the title.
Virtus.pro earned a place through the closed qualifier but later withdrew. Ninjas in Pyjamas accepted the replacement invitation through the eligible European ranking order. Because the event is held in Malta, Europe was the relevant region for selecting that replacement.
The invitation followed the regional ranking rather than the closed qualifier’s finishing order. NIP consequently entered through a different route from the qualifier berth Virtus.pro had earned. They are scheduled to open against Falcons, the field’s top seed, on October 14.
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