Thunderpick World Championship 2026 will continue the Opening Round in Group A with a match between 9z and Aurora. The teams will play a Bo3: the winner will advance to the Winners’ match, while the losing team will drop to the Elimination match. The gap in the world ranking is noticeable — Aurora are in ninth place, while 9z are in 16th position. The Turkish roster approaches the matchup as the favorite, but the South American team will try to end its unsuccessful head-to-head streak.
THUNDERPICK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2026 — FORMAT SPECIFICS
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 will take place in Malta from October 14 to 18 with eight teams participating. The group stage uses a GSL format with Bo3 matches. The winner of the 9z vs Aurora matchup will move to the Winners’ match of Group A, while the losing team will continue the fight in the Elimination match. The two best teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs.
The total prize pool of the tournament is $1,000,000, with $500,000 allocated to players and the same amount to clubs. The champion will receive $250,000 in prize money and a $250,000 club share. The Playoffs will be played in a Single Elimination format with Bo3 in the Semi-finals, Bo5 in the Grand Final, and a separate Bo3 for third place. Aurora are among the contenders for high placements, while for 9z, this tournament will be an opportunity to improve their results against stronger opponents.
HEAD-TO-HEAD — AURORA HAVE A COMPLETE ADVANTAGE
According to the presented statistics, Aurora lead 9z 4:0 in maps. At ESL Pro League Season 24, the Turkish roster won Mirage 13:11 and Dust2 13:3. Earlier, at IEM Cologne Major 2026, Aurora also won Dust2 13:5 and Nuke 13:1, not allowing the opponent to take a single map.
Thus, Aurora have already defeated 9z twice with a 2:0 score, with three of the four maps ending with a large round difference. The only relatively competitive matchup was Mirage with a 13:11 score. For 9z, the upcoming match will be an opportunity to change the negative trend, but the previous results indicate a significant advantage for the Turkish team.
CURRENT FORM
9z — unstable results against stronger opponents
9z’s recent results include victories over BETBOOM 2:0 and TYLOO 2:0. At the same time, the team lost to FURIA 0:2, Natus Vincere 0:2, and Aurora 0:2. At ESL Pro League Season 24, the South American roster finished in 9–11th place, failing to reach the Playoffs. Overall, 9z show competitive play against opponents of their own level, but have difficulties in matches against top-10 teams.
dgt has the best presented individual numbers with a 1.12 rating over the last three months. He averages 0.73 kills per round, has 0.62 deaths, 76.0% KAST, a 1.06 multi-kill rating, and 82.0 ADR. Together with max, meyern, luchov, and HUASOPEEK, he forms a roster that can create problems for opponents through individual activity, but against Aurora, the team will need much more stable round conversion.
Aurora — strong results and third place at ESL Pro League
Aurora approach the tournament after a successful run at ESL Pro League Season 24, where the team finished third. Their recent results include victories over Spirit 2:0, 1win 2:0, FURIA 2:1, and BETBOOM 2:1. At the same time, the Turkish roster lost to Vitality 1:2 and Falcons 0:2. Overall, Aurora are showing good form and regularly challenge the strongest teams in the world.
Jimpphat has the strongest presented individual numbers with a 1.14 rating. He averages 0.70 kills per round, has 0.60 deaths, 75.3% KAST, and 75.9 ADR. Together with XANTARES, woxic, Wicadia, and kyxsan, he forms a balanced roster that combines individual skill with team discipline. Aurora’s experience from recent victories over high-level opponents remains an especially important advantage.
MAP POOL & VETO
Statistics over the last 3 months (9z | Aurora):
- Cache: 50% | 43%
- Dust2: 50% | 50%
- Mirage: 60% | 62%
- Inferno: 0% | 57%
- Nuke: 25% | 88%
- Ancient: — | —
- Anubis: — | 75%
Expected veto:
- 9z can logically remove Nuke. The team has only a 25% win rate across eight matches, while Aurora show 88% across the same number of maps. In addition, it was on Nuke that the Turkish roster previously crushed 9z with a 13:1 score. Leaving this map to the opponent would be too risky a decision.
- Aurora, in turn, can remove Cache. 9z have a 50% win rate on this map across four matches, while the Turkish roster show 43% across seven. Although the statistical difference is small, Cache looks like a less comfortable map for Aurora compared to Mirage or Nuke. At the same time, Anubis requires separate attention: 9z have not played it in the presented stretch and often remove it during the veto, while Aurora have a 75% win rate across 12 matches.
Likely maps:
- Mirage looks like one of the best options for Aurora. The team has a 62% win rate across 16 matches against 9z’s 60% across five. Statistically, the difference is small, but the Turkish roster has a much larger sample and has already beaten the opponent on this map with a 13:11 score. Inferno could also become Aurora’s pick, as the team has a 57% win rate, while 9z lost all three presented matches.
- 9z can answer with Dust2 or Cache. On Dust2, both teams have a 50% win rate, although previous head-to-head meetings ended with convincing Aurora victories. Cache looks like a more balanced option, but the Turkish roster may remove it early in the veto. If Nuke and Anubis are blocked, Dust2 could become a potential decider, where the teams’ statistics are equal, but the head-to-head history remains in Aurora’s favor.
KEY DUELS
- dgt vs Jimpphat — a clash between the two most productive players according to the presented statistics. Jimpphat has a slightly higher rating, 1.14 against 1.12, while dgt shows better kills per round and ADR. At the same time, Jimpphat has more experience in successful matches against top opponents.
- HUASOPEEK vs woxic — an AWP duel that may determine control of key positions and the effectiveness of opening contacts. For 9z, it will be especially important to limit woxic’s freedom, as he can create advantages for Aurora through aggressive decisions.
- meyern vs XANTARES — a rifle duel in which XANTARES has significantly more experience at the highest level. His ability to win individual fights and open up space may become one of the main factors behind Aurora’s success.
PREDICTION
9z have relatively competitive statistics on Mirage, Dust2, and Cache, while dgt approaches the match with good individual numbers. If the South American roster can remove Nuke, avoid Anubis, and get one of its more comfortable maps, it will have a chance to put up a fight. At the same time, the previous four lost maps against Aurora indicate serious difficulties in this matchup.
Aurora look significantly stronger in current form, are ninth in the world ranking, and recently finished third at ESL Pro League Season 24. The Turkish roster has the advantage on Nuke, Inferno, and Anubis, as well as successful experience against 9z on Mirage and Dust2. The combination of a stronger map pool, experience, and individual skill makes Aurora the clear favorite of the match.
Projected result: Aurora 2–0 9z
