The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 is set to heat up Malta next week, bringing together eight top Counter-Strike 2 teams from around the globe for five days of action from October 15 to 19. Ahead of the LAN finals, the organisers have revealed both the opening match-ups and the full broadcast talent lineup.

The groups and opening matches

The tournament’s structure sees two groups of four teams each. Group A features FURIA, The MongolZ, OG, and 9z, while Group B includes Natus Vincere, Aurora, Imperial, and Venom.

Here’s how the opening fixtures line up (CET time):

• FURIA vs OG – October 15, 10:30 CET
• The MongolZ vs 9z – October 15, 13:30 CET
• Aurora vs Venom – October 15, 16:30 CET
• Natus Vincere vs Imperial – October 15, 19:30 CET

The defending champions The MongolZ will be looking to bounce back after a rough showing at ESL Pro League, where they crashed out in 11th place at the hands of NAVI. Meanwhile, FURIA are expected to make a statement after a solid year, and fans are already calling them early favourites.

Star-studded broadcast team

Thunderpick has assembled an impressive lineup of on-air talent to guide fans through the event. Hosting duties will be shared between Tres “stunna” Saranthus (United States) and Sam “Tech Girl” Wright (South Africa).

The desk will feature Janko “YNk” Paunović, Sudhen “Bleh” Wahengbam, Allan “Allan” Hender, and Travis “Trav” Landaw Mott, offering expert insight throughout the tournament. Geordie “Mac” McAleer will handle interviews live from the stage.

In the casting booths, fans will hear from two of Counter-Strike’s most popular duos: Hugo “Hugo” Byron and Harry “JustHarry” Russell, alongside Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill and Alex “Machine” Richardson.

It’s a lineup that’s got the community buzzing. As one HLTV user put it, “They got both of the best casting duos for this. even more reason to watch.”

Meet the voices of the Main Event for #ThunderpickWC 2025! 🌐

Here are all the talents bringing you the action live 🔉

🎙️ Casters: @HugoTV @JustHarryGG @SPUNJ @MACHINEgg

📊 Analysts:@YNk @OfficialBleh @allan_hender @TravCS

🧑‍🏫 Hosts:@stunna @techgirlza

🎤 Interviewer:… pic.twitter.com/IGyOLaS00x

— Thunderpick (@thunderpickco) October 9, 2025

What’s at stake

The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 may not be the biggest event of the year, but with a stacked talent roster, a Maltese LAN setting, and some of Counter-Strike’s most exciting teams, it’s shaping up to be one of the most entertaining stops on the CS2 calendar.

Will FURIA live up to expectations? Can The MongolZ reclaim their dominance? Or will NAVI remind everyone why they’ve long been a powerhouse?

One thing’s certain, Malta’s about to host a week of Counter-Strike you won’t want to miss.

The post Thunderpick World Championship 2025: Opening Matches and Talent Lineup Revealed appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The stage is set for one of Counter-Strike’s biggest tournaments of the year. The Thunderpick World Championship 2025 is bringing the heat this October in Malta, with a massive $850,000 prize pool on the line. And now, we know the first four names heading straight to the main event: NAVI, The MongolZ, FURIA, and Aurora.

Time to check out the teams heading to the Closed Qualifier & LAN Finals of the #ThunderpickWC 2025! 🌐

See the lineup below 👇 pic.twitter.com/dbA6ppohUF

— Thunderpick (@thunderpickco) September 5, 2025

Who’s In and Who’s Still Fighting

Running from October 15–19, the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 will feature eight teams total. Four squads have already secured their invites, while the other four spots will be decided through the closed qualifier happening September 9–11.

That qualifier isn’t short on talent. Sixteen teams will scrap it out online for just four golden tickets to Malta. Fans can look forward to big names like Ninjas in Pyjamas, ENCE, BIG, OG, and SAW all trying to punch their way through. Regional heroes Legacy, M80, Imperial, and 9z have also earned their way into the mix, adding extra spice to the fight.

A Familiar Favourite Returns

The MongolZ aren’t just another invited team, they’re the reigning champions. After taking home the trophy at last year’s edition, they’ll be looking to defend their crown against some of the best squads in the world. Standing in their way are NAVI, the perennial heavyweights from Europe, Brazil’s FURIA with their aggressive flair, and Aurora, a rising force from Turkey.

With four more teams yet to qualify, the competition is already shaping up to be fierce. Every squad heading to Malta knows what’s at stake: not just the lion’s share of the prize pool, but also bragging rights as one of the world’s best.

What’s Next?

The closed qualifier kicks off online from September 9–11, and by the time it wraps up, we’ll have the full lineup for Malta. From there, it’s just a short wait until the Thunderpick World Championship 2025 officially begins.

One thing’s certain, whether you’re backing the veterans or cheering for an underdog run, October in Malta is going to deliver some unforgettable Counter-Strike.

The post Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Locks in NAVI, The MongolZ, FURIA, and Aurora appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A Fresh Start for s1mple

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev is back in action, making his debut for BC.Game in the Proving Grounds Season 3. It’s his first official match since the Austin Major 2025, where he stood in for FaZe Clan but failed to make the playoffs. After a short break from competition, he returned at the end of July with BC.Game.

IT’S HAPPENING…@s1mpleO WILL play. TOMORROW. 🤩

Catch ALL the action in our Twitch channel 👇 pic.twitter.com/qpUANdmUOT

— BC Game Esports (@BCGameEsports) August 9, 2025

Mixed Performance on Debut

BC.Game claimed a 2–1 series win over CYBERSHOKE, but it wasn’t a flawless showing from the CS2 superstar.

BCGame pick up a win on s1mple’s debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/nMpl1EIO9A

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) August 10, 2025

Statistically, s1mple had the lowest HLTV rating in the squad (1.01), along with the weakest ADR and KAST.

Image via HLTV.org

However, he shone in the opening duels, winning 13 and losing only 3, a stat that helped keep BC.Game in control during key rounds.

The Standout Moment

One highlight came in the final pistol round on Ancient. With the map still in the balance, s1mple secured a tough frag before covering nexa during a bomb defuse. That clutch protection boosted BC.Game’s economy and allowed them to close the map 13–8.

Blaming the Anti-Cheat

After losing the first map, s1mple explained his struggles in his Telegram channel, pointing to technical issues.
According to him, the anti-cheat caused his game to freeze around ten times. “Now we know what online gaming is all about,”

😔 s1mple explained the reason behind the loss in his Telegram channel: it’s all because of the anti-cheat. pic.twitter.com/lUgCDN6vyl

— CS2 NEWS (@CS2News_EN) August 10, 2025

What’s Next in Proving Grounds S3

The Proving Grounds Season 3 is being held online from August 10 to 22, with $86.6k in prize money and ranked VRS points up for grabs. Big names like BetBoom Team, Fnatic, OG, and ENCE are already set for the playoffs, so there’s plenty more CS2 action ahead.

The post s1mple Wins First Match with BC.Game Despite Performance Struggles and Anti-Cheat Issues appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Recently SteelSeries and OG, the reigning Dota 2 World Champions are proud to announce their official partnership.

This alliance continues SteelSeries’ proud history and legacy of supporting the Dota 2 community and its champions.

“OG is one of the biggest names in Esports, and an ever-present dominant force within the Dota 2 community,” said SteelSeries CEO, Ehtisham Rabbani. “We’re proud to be working with them and providing the tools that they need to continue winning at the highest level.”

“It’s a pleasure to once again be working with SteelSeries, their products have been part of my entire life,” said OG CEO & Captain Johan “N0tail” Sundstein. “This is an exciting chapter for us and I’m expecting great things”.

The Dota 2 International is the largest professional Esports tournament in the world. The 2019 edition once again sets the bar with a prize pool exceeding 31 million USD. Through a crowdfunding campaign the total will continue to increase until the end of the tournament on the 25th of August, 2019.

OG will be lining up to defend their title in Shanghai, China starting on August 15th, 2019.

The OG Roster Includes:

Johan “N0tail” Sundstein (C)

Sébastien “Ceb” Debs

Anathan “ana” Pham

Topias “Topson” Taavitsainen

Jesse “JerAx” Vainikka

The post SteelSeries & OG Announce Esports Partnership appeared first on Shane the Gamer.