FURIA edge BetBoom 3-2 on Cache decider to retain Thunderpick World Championship crown in Malta

FURIA have retained the Thunderpick World Championship. On Sunday, 18 October, the Brazilian side beat BetBoom 3-2 in a five-map grand final in Malta, taking Mirage 13-11 and the Cache decider 13-6 after falling behind 2-1. The trophy is FURIA's first of 2026 and their second straight at this US$1 million event. HLTV reported that it ends a title drought going back to BLAST Rivals Season 2 last November.

Map by map: a series that swung both ways

FURIA opened strongly on their own pick, Dust2. Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato had 21 kills on the map, and FURIA won it 13-6.

BetBoom then took the next two maps. Ancient went to overtime and BetBoom won it 19-16, even though FURIA had led 7-5 at half-time. BetBoom also won their own pick, Nuke, 13-9, with Magnojez the standout player on the server. That left FURIA facing elimination at 2-1 down.

The Mirage escape and the Cache decider

Mirage nearly went wrong for FURIA. They led 10-2 at the half, but BetBoom won round after round to draw level at 11-11. FURIA steadied and took the last two rounds to win 13-11. Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo, the veteran captain, had 21 kills on the map.

Cache, the decider, was much more comfortable. FURIA went 8-4 up at the half and won five of the next seven rounds to finish 13-6. Dotesports reported that YEKINDAR had the best rating on the map and that yuurih added 18 kills. Dust2.us noted that FalleN also played an important part on Cache with 14 kills, a strong finish to a final in which he and KSCERATO carried much of the load at important moments. FURIA's strong T side in the first half meant BetBoom never got close enough to threaten another comeback.

How they got to the final

Both semi-finals were one-sided. FURIA swept Aurora to reach the final. BetBoom, led by former Major winner Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhailov, beat Falcons without dropping a map. Aurora then beat Falcons in the third-place match.

Over the full final, HLTV's numbers had BetBoom's Magnojez as the highest-rated player, ahead of KSCERATO for FURIA. That shows how close the series was, even though FURIA's experience told in the last two maps.

What it means for FURIA

FURIA had gone almost a year without a trophy before this weekend. Defending the Malta title gives the lineup of FalleN, KSCERATO, yuurih, YEKINDAR and molodoy a boost going into the busy end of the CS2 season. According to HLTV's prize breakdown, FURIA took the largest share of the US$1 million prize pool.

Key takeaways

• FURIA beat BetBoom 3-2 in the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 grand final in Malta on 18 October.
• Map scores: Dust2 13-6 (FURIA), Ancient 19-16 OT (BetBoom), Nuke 13-9 (BetBoom), Mirage 13-11 (FURIA), Cache 13-6 (FURIA).
• FURIA defended their 2025 title and won their first trophy of 2026.
• FURIA held on to win Mirage after BetBoom came back from 2-10 to 11-11.
• Aurora finished third after beating Falcons.

FAQ

Who won the Thunderpick World Championship 2026? FURIA won it, beating BetBoom 3-2 in the best-of-five grand final in Malta on 18 October 2026.

Which map decided the final? Cache was the fifth and deciding map. FURIA led 8-4 at half-time and won it 13-6.

Is this FURIA's first Thunderpick World Championship? No. FURIA also won the previous edition, so this is a successful title defence and their second Thunderpick World Championship.

Sources: HLTV, Dotesports, Dust2.us, Hotspawn