At the Thunderpick World Championship (TWC) 2026 Closed Qualifier, 16 Counter-Strike 2 teams competed for a coveted spot in the LAN Finals. For anyone who may have missed the event or wants to relive the best moments, we’re sharing the many incredible highlights of the Closed Qualifier and its final results.
HEROIC Tops Group A With Reverse-Sweep
The highest-ranked team competing was HEROIC (#24 on VRS Global), and they lived up to expectations.
Swedish entry fragger Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin propelled HEROIC to a fantastic start against BESTIA with a chart-topping performance (1.60 rating). On the T side of Cache, BESTIA had a slight 7–5 lead. In the second half, HEROIC went on a flawless eight-round run to win the map 13–7.
With momentum on their side, HEROIC steamrolled BESTIA on Ancient, with a 9–3 T side in the first half, and a final score of 13–4 to close out the series 2–0.
In the Winners’ Match against K27, HEROIC ran into a brick wall on their map pick of Ancient. K27 took a commanding 8–4 lead on the CT side and, despite pushback from HEROIC, went up 1–0 in the series with a 13–9 win.
On Cache, K27’s map pick, the sides were tied 6–6 in the first half. HEROIC dug deep on the T side to pull ahead, winning the map 13–9 to tie the series 1–1, forcing a decider.
HEROIC pulled out all the stops to put up an immaculate CT side defense on Nuke to secure a 10–2 first half. While K27 did manage six rounds in the second half, HEROIC finished off the map 13–8. With the 2–1 reverse-sweep comeback win, HEROIC earned a spot in the Playoffs.
After losing to K27, Virtus.pro bounced back to secure second place in Group A by defeating BESTIA 2–0 and taking revenge on K27 with a clean sweep.
HOTU Wins Group B After Nail-Biter
Ranked #25 on the VRS Global leaderboard just before the event kicked off, HOTU was one of the tournament favorites.
HOTU got off to a flying start in Group B, taking down Wildcard in a clean 2–0 series win, with a 13–7 win on Mirage and a 13–5 stomp on Cache. HOTU never relinquished the lead during the series, showcasing impressive form.
The Winners’ Match between HOTU and Team Nemesis was a nail-biter. Team Nemesis came out swinging on HOTU’s map pick, Cache, earning a huge 10–2 lead. They didn’t give HOTU time to stabilize, finishing off the map 13–2.
HOTU flipped the script on Nuke, taking a 10–2 lead on the CT side. Despite some fightback from Team Nemesis, HOTU closed out the map 13–8, tying up the series 1–1.
On Ancient, HOTU got off to a flying start once again, posting a 9–3 CT half. As teams switched sides, HOTU was flawless on the T side to win the map 13–3, completing the reverse-sweep comeback and propelling themselves to the Playoffs.
Wildcard pulled off a reverse-sweep comeback against EYEBALLERS and sent Team Nemesis packing with a 2–0 win to claim second place in Group B.
BBL Esports Stuns In Group C
At the start of the tournament, BBL Esports were one of the underdogs. In our tournament preview, we did note that the all-Danish side could do significant damage.
In their opening match of Group C, BBL Esports exceeded expectations, taking down one of the favorites, 100 Thieves. BBL Esports convincingly won their opponents’ map pick, Ancient, with a 13–5 scoreline.
100 Thieves returned the favor on Inferno, tying the series 1–1 with a 13–6 win. On the decider, Nuke, BBL Esports took the gloves off, posting a dominant 10–2 on the CT side, and finished with a 13–5 win to take the series 2–1.
BBL Esports’ opponents in the Group C Winners’ Match were another favorite, French powerhouse 3DMAX.
The first map, Cache, was a thriller. Both teams fought tooth and nail, resulting in a dead-even 6–6 scoreline in the first half and 6–6 in the second, forcing overtime. BBL Esports rose to the occasion, winning 16–13 on their opponents’ map pick.
3DMAX instantly responded on Nuke with an 11–1 CT half, and finished off the map with a dominating 13–3 score to tie the series 1–1.
BBL Esports showcased a CT-side masterclass on Inferno to take a commanding 9–3 lead in the first half. While 3DMAX didn’t go down without a fight, posting four CT rounds in the second half, BBL Esports came out on top with a 13–7 victory, thereby taking the series 2–1 and moving on to the Playoffs.
100 Thieves managed to claim a spot in the Playoffs, defeating Acend and 3DMAX with 2–0 scores to claim second place in Group C.
FOKUS Goes Flawless In Group D
FOKUS delivered a laser-sharp performance in the first match against Ninjas in Pyjamas. Both sides were pushed to their limits on FOKUS’ map pick, Cache. FOKUS needed all 24 regulation rounds to secure a narrow 13–11 win, spoiling their opponents’ comeback efforts in the second half.
On Mirage, FOKUS managed a narrow 7–5 lead in the first half. Ninjas in Pyjamas pushed back in the second half, but Swedish IGL Erik “ztr” Gustafsson helped FOKUS stabilize for a 13–10 win, thereby closing out the series 2–0.
In the Winners’ Match, FOKUS faced group favorites, 1win Team. On their map pick, Cache, FOKUS went up 8–4 on the CT side, but 1win Team mirrored their performance in the second half. After 24 grueling rounds, the teams were tied, 12–12, forcing overtime.
A double-overtime slugfest saw FOKUS emerge victorious with a 19–17 score to go up 1–0 in the series.
On Anubis, FOKUS managed a narrow 7–5 lead in the first half. 1win Team retaliated in the second half, tying up the map 11–11. FOKUS locked in on the CT side to win the final two rounds of regulation, avoiding overtime to secure a 13–11 victory and close out the series 2–0.
In the Decider Match, 1win Team narrowly defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas with a 2–1 score to claim second place in Group D.
Virtus.pro’s Thrilling Playoffs Run
Virtus.pro had an intense run through the Playoffs bracket, starting with a Quarterfinals slugfest against the Group D winners.
FOKUS’ map pick was unsurprising, considering their success on Cache in the Group Stage. FOKUS continued their impressive run on the newest addition to the Active Duty map pool, claiming a close 13–11 win to go up 1–0 in the series.
With their backs against the wall, just one map loss away from elimination, Virtus.pro showcased their big-match temperament. On the CT side of Mirage, FOKUS took a narrow 7–5 lead. Virtus.pro came back swinging in the second half to win the map 13–10, forcing a decider.
Virtus.pro took a commanding 9–3 lead on the T side of Ancient. As teams switched sides, Virtus.pro won the pistol and conversion.
FOKUS mounted a solid comeback attempt, winning six T rounds in a row, before Virtus.pro stopped the bleeding to win the map 13–10, thereby eliminating FOKUS and moving on to the Semifinals.
In the Semifinals, Virtus.pro faced HEROIC, and sparks flew. Starting on Ancient, HEROIC’s map pick, Virtus.pro posted a strong 8–4 CT half. On the T side, they showed no mercy with quick attacking plays to close out the map 13–6.
HEROIC pushed back on Dust2, posting an insurmountable 10–2 first half on the CT side. A clean three rounds on the T side in the second half resulted in a dominating 13–2 map win to tie the series 1–1.
The decider, Mirage, saw both sides trade blows, with HEROIC taking a small 7–5 lead on the CT side in the first half. As teams switched sides, HEROIC got up to a 10–5 lead, winning the first three rounds on the T side.
Virtus.pro’s stalwart defensive plays on the CT side stopped HEROIC in their tracks. They won eight rounds on the CT side, allowing HEROIC only one more round win, to complete the comeback on Mirage for a 13–11 victory.
With the 2–1 win, Virtus.pro moved on to the Grand Final of the Closed Qualifier.
HOTU Barrels Through The Bracket
After topping Group B in dramatic fashion with a reverse-sweep comeback against Team Nemesis, HOTU had momentum on their side going into the Playoffs.
In the Quarterfinals against 100 Thieves, the teams were tied 6–6 on HOTU’s map pick, Anubis. 100 Thieves won the pistol and conversion to take a lead in the second half, before HOTU went on a rampage, winning seven T rounds in a row to claim the first map, 13–8.
On 100 Thieves’ map pick, Mirage, HOTU pulled ahead in the final rounds of the first half for a narrow 7–5 lead. In the second half, HOTU won the pistol and conversion.
While 100 Thieves did respond with four rounds in a row, HOTU managed to get it over the line with a final score of 13–9. With a 2–0 win, HOTU moved on to the Semifinals.
In the Semifinals, BBL Esports pushed HOTU to their limits on Anubis. Both teams managed 7–5 scores on their T sides, tying at 12–12 in regulation. In overtime, HOTU secured a 16–14 win to take a 1–0 series lead.
BBL Esports took revenge on Nuke with an impressive 8–4 T side. In the second half, HOTU could only muster three T rounds, leaving BBL Esports to close out the map 13–7, tying up the series.
HOTU flourished in the decider, Cache, and took an 8–4 lead on the CT side. The lead proved too much for BBL Esports to handle, as HOTU closed it out 13–7.
With the 2–1 win, HOTU moved on to the Closed Qualifier Grand Final.
A Clean Sweep Grand Final: Virtus.pro vs. HOTU
An energetic new-look Virtus.pro faced off against a tournament favorite, HOTU, in the best-of-five Grand Final, with one spot at the TWC 2026 Finals on the line.
The action kicked off on Virtus.pro’s map pick, Dust2. Virtus.pro drew first blood, rampaging through the defense on the T side for a 10–2 lead.
In the second half, Virtus.pro won the pistol and conversion, putting themselves on map point at 12–2. That’s when the unthinkable happened, as HOTU pulled off an insane comeback, winning ten T rounds in a row to tie the score 12–12, forcing overtime. HOTU ran out of steam in overtime, and Virtus.pro claimed a hard-fought 16–14 win to go up 1–0 in the series.
HOTU’s home ground of Anubis didn’t go their way, with Virtus.pro taking a strong 9–3 lead on the CT side. On the T side, Virtus.pro finished off their opponents for a convincing 13–6 win, taking a 2–0 series lead.
HOTU got off to a great start on the CT side of Ancient, winning the first five rounds in a row and ending the half with a 7–5 lead. In the second half, the teams traded blows, with Virtus.pro forcing overtime with a tied 12–12 score.
After HOTU won the first round of overtime, Virtus.pro refused to give up another round, closing out the map 16–13 and completing the 3–0 sweep in the Grand Final to punch their ticket to Malta.
Virtus.pro Roster & Grand Final MVP
Despite multiple recent roster changes, Virtus.pro rose to the occasion. Throughout the event, the players’ hunger for success was clear, showing immense energy and resilience.
Just before TWC 2026 Closed Qualifier kicked off, Virtus.pro was ranked #40 on the VRS Global leaderboard.
Claiming notable scalps against HEROIC, HOTU, and FOKUS during the Playoffs has propelled the squad to #29, giving them a slim chance to qualify for the Singapore Major.
Virtus.pro roster:
- Vadim “tO0RO” Arkov
- Vladimir “b1st” Krasikov
- Aleksandr “AquaRS” Kovalev
- Dias “F0R3VER” Kutubay
- Nikolay “mir” Bityukov (IGL)
- Dmitriy “ProbLeM” Martynov (Coach)
A masterclass performance from tO0RO earned the young rifler the Grand Final MVP award. He topped the scoreboard with a 1.30 rating, an ADR of 82.4, and a KDA of 57–42–15.
TWC 2026 Closed Qualifier Final Standings
Here are the final standings for the Closed Qualifier.
| Placement | Teams |
| 1st | Virtus.pro (Qualifies for TWC 2026 Finals) |
| 2nd | HOTU |
| 3rd–4th | BBL Esports & HEROIC |
| 5th–8th | 1win Team, FOKUS, 100 Thieves & Wildcard |
| 9th–12th | Team Nemesis, 3DMAX, Ninjas in Pyjamas & K27 |
| 13th–16th | BESTIA, EYEBALLERS, INFINITE & Acend |
Who’s Ready For The Finals In Malta?
With all regional online series and our Closed Qualifier now complete, we turn our attention to the crowning event: the TWC 2026 Finals.
Mark your calendar for Oct. 14 to 18, when eight teams will compete for their share of the $1 million prize pool at the BLAST Arena Studios in Attard, Malta.
The upcoming TWC 2026 Finals matches will be broadcast live on twitch.tv/thunderpicktv and youtube.com/@Thunderpickesports.
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