The semi-final stage leaves teams with only one chance to directly continue their fight for the main trophy. For Falcons and BETBOOM, the series became a test of their ability to adapt during the match, as the course of the encounter completely changed after the first map.
Tournament context
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 features playoffs played in a single elimination Bo3 format, while the Grand final will be played as a Bo5. The winners of the semi-finals advance to the tournament’s decisive match, while the losing teams move to the Tiebreaker for third place.
Falcons confidently opened the series with a victory on Anubis, but BETBOOM did not allow their opponents to build on that advantage. The team edged out Dust2 after overtime before delivering a much more convincing performance on the decisive Mirage.
How the match unfolded — Falcons vs BETBOOM
Series score: 2:1 in favor of BETBOOM
- Anubis (pick BETBOOM) — 13:5 in favor of Falcons
BETBOOM failed to convert their own map pick. Falcons immediately imposed a comfortable tempo, built a significant round advantage, and took the lead in the series without serious difficulties. - Dust2 (pick Falcons) — 16:14 in favor of BETBOOM
The second map became the turning point of the match and went into overtime. BETBOOM survived an extremely close finish, secured the decisive overtime rounds, and prevented Falcons from closing out the series 2:0. - Mirage (decider) — 13:7 in favor of BETBOOM
On the decisive map, BETBOOM looked much more confident. The team quickly seized the initiative, prevented Falcons from regaining control, and completed their comeback in the series to advance to the Grand final.
Player of the Match — Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov (BETBOOM)
- K–D: 59–46
- ADR: 89.1
- Rating 3.0: 1.39
Key contribution: Magnojez was BETBOOM’s most consistent individual performer across all three maps. He finished the series with the highest rating on the roster and played an important role in the comeback after losing Anubis.
VRS results
- BETBOOM — +106 pt → 1727 pt
The victory brought BETBOOM an exceptionally large ranking boost. The team climbed from 10th to 8th place in VRS and simultaneously secured a spot in the main match of Thunderpick World Championship 2026. - Falcons — -19 pt → 1861 pt
The defeat cost Falcons 19 ranking points and dropped the team from 4th to 5th place in VRS. In addition to losing their place in the final, the roster must now finish the tournament through the third-place match.
What’s next?
BETBOOM advance to the Grand final of Thunderpick World Championship 2026, where they will face FURIA. The tournament champion will be determined in a Bo5 series.
Falcons move to the Tiebreaker for third place, where they will face Aurora. The winner will finish the tournament in third place, while the losing team will take fourth.
Match summary
Falcons started the semi-final very confidently and took Anubis 13:5, but failed to close out the series on their own Dust2. BETBOOM survived a tense overtime, leveled the series, and then controlled most of Mirage.
The key factors were BETBOOM’s comeback after an unsuccessful first map and Magnojez’s consistent performance with a 1.39 rating. As a result, the team secured a 2:1 victory, +106 VRS points, and a place in the Grand final against FURIA, while Falcons will continue the tournament in the Tiebreaker against Aurora.
