The Thunderpick World Championship opens in Malta on October 14 with a last-minute lineup change: NIP step in for Virtus.pro.
Virtus.pro withdrawal
Virtus.pro pulled out due to visa issues for Aleksandr "AquaRS" Kovalev and health reasons affecting Dias "F0R3VER" Kutubay. Ninjas in Pyjamas replaced them as the next eligible European team per the organizer's rulebook.
Event details
- Dates: October 14-18, 2026
- Venue: Malta
- Prize pool: $1,000,000
- Format: two GSL BO3 groups → single-elim playoffs → BO5 grand final
Group A
- Oct 14, 10:30 — 9z vs Aurora
- Oct 14, 13:00 — Falcons vs NIP
Group B
- Oct 14, 15:30 — Legacy vs PARIVISION
- Oct 14, 18:00 — FURIA vs BETBOOM
arT returns
Andrei "arT" Piovezan — who missed ESL Pro League Season 24 with meningitis (bobz stood in and averaged 0.68) — returns for Legacy's Thunderpick group stage.
Final 8-team field
Falcons, FURIA, Legacy, NIP, 9z, Aurora, PARIVISION, BETBOOM.
Source: HLTV.org — /news/45688/thunderpick-world-championship-matchups-announced-with-virtuspro-replaced-by-nip
