From July 8 to 12, the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2026 SA Series 2 tournament entertained Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) fans worldwide. A dozen teams from the South American region lit up the servers, delivering fantastic plays throughout while keeping us glued to our screens.
Join us in reliving the best TWC 2026 SA Series 2 moments as we discuss the Group Stage, Playoffs, and final results.
Isurus Bites Back In Group A
At SA Series 1, Isurus fell in the Group Stage, while UNO MILLE made it out of the groups and all the way to the Grand Final. In Group A of the TWC 2026 SA Series 2, Isurus found themselves against UNO MILLE in the opening match. And just like the sharks they’re named after, they smelled blood in the water.
Despite being the underdogs, Isurus built a 9–3 lead on the CT side of Inferno, and closed out the map with a convincing 13–6 score. On their map pick of Dust2, however, it was UNO MILLE who fought back, earning a narrow 7–5 lead in the first half of play, with their IGL, Rodrigo “drg” Ausenka, stepping up on the B Site defense.
UNO MILLE managed to hang on to their lead and secure a 13–9 win, tying the series 1–1 and forcing a third map.
Starting on the CT side of Nuke, Isurus only managed a narrow 7–5 lead. Despite the map being CT-favored, when teams switched sides, Isurus went on a rampage, winning six in a row to close out the map 13–5 and the series 2–1. The last round of Nuke was a banger, with AWPer Joaquín “atarax1a” Biglieri pulling off a 2v1 clutch with a no-scope for good measure.
In the Winners Match of Group A, Isurus faced the all-Brazilian outfit, Fake do Biru. On Isurus’ map pick of Mirage, things went swimmingly, with the Argentinian side managing a 7–5 lead on the T side, and finishing off proceedings with a near-flawless 6–1 on the CT side for a 13–6 win.
On Fake do Biru’s map pick of Nuke, the teams traded blows in a 6–6 first half. The second half was too close to call, ending in a 12–12 scoreline to force overtime. After a double-overtime affair, Isurus came out on top, 19–17, to win the match 2–0 and advance to the Playoffs.
Santiago “rzk” Pucheta stole the show, topping the leaderboard with a 1.37 rating.
In the Group A Decider Match, it was Fake do Biru who shut down the hopes of UNO MILLE, with a clean 2–0 sweep to earn a spot in the Playoffs of TWC 2026 SA Series 2.
Keyd Stars Tops Group B
The all-Brazilian side of Keyd Stars found themselves in Group B just like they did at the TWC 2026 SA Series 1 event, looking to repeat their success by making it to the Playoffs.
It was a Brazilian derby in the first round, with Keyd Stars facing MIBR Academy. On the CT side of their opponent’s map pick, Nuke, Keyd Stars took a strong 8–4 lead. The teams traded blows in the 2nd half, resulting in a 13–9 win for Keyd Stars.
On Keyd Stars’ map pick, Ancient, they made a comeback to tie the half 6–6 after MIBR Academy held an early lead. Keyd Stars kept their cool to win 13–11, requiring all rounds in regulation to get over the line, sweeping MIBR Academy 2–0 in the opening match.
In the Winners Match, Keyd Stars locked horns with another Brazilian side, Yawara. On the CT side of their opponent’s map pick, Mirage, Keyd Stars clicked heads in style, scoring a 9–3 lead. While Yawara put up a fight in the 2nd half, Keyd Stars didn’t let go of their lead, confidently winning the map 13–7.
Yawara fought back on Keyd Stars’ map pick of Ancient with a stellar 9–3 performance on the CT side. After teams switched sides, Yawara kept the momentum going with a 4–1 T-side half, winning the map 13–4 and pushing the series to a third map.
On the deciding map, Anubis, the 1st half was too close to call, with teams tying 6–6. In the 2nd half, Keyd Stars put up a stalwart defense on the CT side to win the map 13–9 and thereby win the series 2–1.
One of our favorite moments was how Keyd Stars’ Gabriel “lash” Sampaio stepped up when it mattered most (9–9 on Anubis), scoring four kills with the AWP to demolish the hopes of Yawara.
With the win, Keyd Stars unlocked a spot in the Playoffs. In the Decider Match of Group B, it was MIBR Academy who took care of business against Yawara to earn the final Group B spot in the Playoffs.
Imperial Takes Charge In The Playoffs
The all-Brazilian top contender and Playoffs Stage direct invite, Imperial Esports, took on Group A winner, Isurus, in the Quarterfinals.
Isurus drew first blood on Imperial’s map pick, Mirage, taking a narrow 7–5 lead in the 1st half. As teams switched sides, Imperial went on a rampage, winning six in a row to take a 11–7 lead. However, Isurus refused to go down, winning six T rounds in a row to claim a 13–11 win on Mirage, putting themselves one map win away from the Semifinals.
With their backs against the wall, Imperial stepped up on Nuke. The Brazilian side found their form with a strong 8–4 lead on the CT side of Nuke, and finished off the map 13–5 thanks to their powerful attacking plays.
The match was tied 1–1, and Imperial had momentum going into the deciding map, Inferno. On the CT side of Inferno, Imperial smashed Isurus 9–3 and closed it out 13–5 to complete the 2–1 reverse-sweep comeback.
In the TWC 2026 SA Series 2 Semifinal, their next opponent was LargadosyPelados (LP). Imperial’s map pick of Mirage narrowly went their way, as they hung on to a 7–5 1st-half lead to avoid overtime and win 13–11.
Imperial took an early lead on Inferno. Just when LP attempted to mount a comeback, they were shut down thanks to a beautiful three-kill performance from Lucas “decenty” Bacelar, pulling his squad back into control.
Imperial held onto their lead, giving LP little to work with. As the dust settled on Inferno, Imperial walked away with a 13–4 win to close out the match 2–0, thereby earning a spot in the Grand Final.
BESTIA Barrels Through The Playoffs
As the highest-ranked team (#11 on the VRS Americas) heading into the TWC 2026 SA Series 2, BESTIA received one of our direct invites to the Playoffs.
BESTIA didn’t disappoint in their Quarterfinals clash with MIBR Academy. Their opponents picked Cache as the first map, but BESTIA dominated right from the start, earning an impressive 8–4 lead on the CT side.
One of our favorite moments saw Ignacio “nacho” Rodriguez score three kills, completely shutting down MIBR Academy’s attack on the B Site. Teams traded blows in the 2nd half, resulting in a 13–8 win for BESTIA.
On Dust2, BESTIA refused to give MIBR Academy room to move, going up 9–3 on the T side, and finishing off proceedings with a final score of 13–6. BESTIA’s Martín “tomaszin” Corna topped the scoreboard with a fantastic 1.27 rating, performing under pressure in the lurker role to propel his team to a 2–0 victory.
In the Semifinal, BESTIA faced Keyd Stars and didn’t waste any time making their presence felt. On Keyd Stars’ map pick, Ancient, BESTIA boasted an impressive 8–4 lead. Their opponents clawed their way back into contention, but BESTIA stabilized to avoid overtime, winning the first map 13–11.
On Dust2, the teams were tied 6–6 at halftime. Keyd Stars won the Pistol and conversion for an 8–6 lead. BESTIA showed their big-match temperament under pressure, coming back on the CT side to win the map 13–9 and thereby win the series 2–0.
A Clean Grand Final: Imperial vs. BESTIA
In the TWC 2026 SA Series 2 best-of-three Grand Final, BESTIA picked Dust2 as the first map, Imperial picked Inferno, and Mirage was left as the decider.
BESTIA drew first blood, winning the first round—but that just woke Imperial up, as they went on a seven-round streak. By the end of the 1st half, Imperial had an 8–4 lead. In the 2nd half, BESTIA won their 2nd Pistol of the map thanks to an unreal 2v1 clutch from Martín “tomaszin” Corna. While BESTIA put up a solid fight, Imperial managed to keep their lead and finish off Dust2 with a 13–9 win.
Going into Inferno, Imperial clicked heads with vigor to win the first five rounds in a row, before BESTIA mounted a defense on the CT side to remain competitive. As the 1st half ended, Imperial was up 8–4.
While BESTIA found another Pistol win in the 2nd half, Imperial denied the conversion and went on a CT side win streak to close out the map 13–6. One of our favorite moments saw Imperial’s Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes shut down BESTIA in the 17th round with four kills while defending the B Site.
With the 13–6 win on Inferno, Imperial performed a clean sweep in the TWC 2026 SA Series 2 Grand Final, showcasing immense skill to claim the crown.
Imperial Esports Roster & Grand Final MVP
Roughly one day before their first TWC 2026 SA Series 2 match, Imperial completed a significant roster change, replacing AWPer Guilherme “levi” Godoy with Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco.
Changing who wields the “Big Green” on the server usually means teams underperform as their rosters acclimate, making Imperial’s win all the more impressive.
Imperial Esports roster:
- Kaiky “noway” Santos
- Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
- Guilherme “saadzin” Pacheco
- Lucas “decenty” Bacelar
- Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo (IGL)
- Caio “zqk” Fonseca (Coach)
Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes was named the MVP of the TWC 2026 SA Series 2 Grand Final, powering Imperial Esports’ clean sweep against BESTIA. He topped the scoreboard with a stunning 1.63 rating, boasting a KDA of 39–23–12 and an ADR of 103.
TWC 2026 SA Series 2 Final Standings
Teams competed for their share of the $20,000 prize pool. Here are the final standings and prize pool distribution at the SA Series 2:
| Placement | Team(s) | Prize Money |
| 1st | Imperial Esports | $10,000 |
| 2nd | BESTIA | $4,000 |
| 3rd–4th | Keyd Stars & LP | $1,500 each |
| 5th–8th | MIBR Academy, Bounty Hunters, Fake do Biru & Isurus | $750 each |
| 9th–10th | UNO MILLE & Yawara | — |
| 11th–12th | paiN Academy & Metanoia Wolves | — |
More TWC 2026 Action On The Horizon
We had the pleasure of watching the NA Series, EU Series 1, and both SA Series 1 and 2 unfold. Next up, fans can look forward to the EU Series 2 (July 25 to Aug. 2), followed by the Global Qualifier (Sept. 9 to 13) leading up to the TWC 2026 Finals on LAN in Malta (Oct. 12 to 19).
Visit our World Championship page to keep up with all the action. You can also put your CS2 esports knowledge to the test by checking out all the latest CS2 betting odds and placing wagers using your favorite cryptocurrencies.
All the upcoming TWC 2026 matches will be broadcast live on twitch.tv/thunderpicktv and youtube.com/@Thunderpickesports. The tournament is presented by Hotspawn, with GRID Esports as the data partner.
Always practice Responsible Gambling and check out our latest promo offers and boosts. T&Cs apply. 18+ to play.
