FURIA produce monumental comeback to win Thunderpick World Championship

FURIA have won the Thunderpick World Championship after producing a scintillating comeback to defeat Natus Vincere in the grand finals on Sunday. 

The victory sees FURIA move into second place in the Valve rankings with 1,925 points, behind only Vitality (1,931), while NaVi (1,827) move up one spot to sixth and gain further momentum after a strong showing at ESL Pro League Season 22. 

NaVi were outstanding early and won the opening two maps — Mirage and Inferno — before their opponents clicked into gear and showed why they are now the world’s second-ranked team. 

NaVi picked Nuke for the third map, but it was FURIA’s Gabriel “Fallen” Toledo that was the star, finishing with a 1.51 rating and 20 kills. 

FURIA’s form then went from strength-to-strength on Dust2, where they won 13-5, before they blitzed their opponents on Train, which was the deciding map in the best-of-five battle.

Danil “molodoy” Golubenko produced a match-high rating of 2.22 on the final map, with an extraordinary 20 kills, with the next best being  NaVi’s Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy, who recorded 11 kills (10 head shots). 

Overall FURIA showed up in the key moments, with molodoy outstanding across the entirety of the match, while FalleN and Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato were good when their maps came up.

NaVi were well served by b1t and Mihai “iM” Ivan but lacked cohesion when the pressure went up. NaVi will be pleased with their improved form as Makazze finds his groove after being promoted from the junior squad mid-season. 

The Counter-Strike 2 world will now turn its attention to the PGL Bucharest Major, which is missing many of the world’s best, including FURIA and NaVi as the ongoing battle between teams, PGL and ESL continues.

The IEM Chengdu event, running from November 3-9, will feature the bulk of the world’s top teams and will be the last major CS2 tournament for 2025. 

TWC ’25 grand final recap & highlights

Let’s take a look at how the Thunderpick World Championships final unfolded:

Map 1: Mirage (NAVI pick)

NAVI kicked off on Mirage and came out strong, winning 13-6. FURIA were well under pressure and couldn’t mount a consistent challenge-campaign here. The stat sheet shows NAVI players like iM and b1t doing solid work (for example iM had 38-26 on this map with a 93.2 ADR) while key FURIA players struggled to break through. FURIA’s YEKINDAR in particular had 17-31 (-14) and a weak rating of 0.69 on this map.

Map 2: Inferno (FURIA pick)

On Inferno, NAVI edged out a 13-9 victory in a tightly contested affair. Although the overall score suggests a competitive map, the deeper numbers reveal how NAVI were more consistent: they secured more first kills (13 vs 8) and had several players turn in solid individual performances. For FURIA, the standout was KSCERATO posting 17 kills and an ADR of 91.1. Conversely, NAVI’s in-game leader Aleksib struggled a bit with just eight kills and a rating of 0.84, indicating cracks in their support layer. What this map showed was a resilient NAVI start, but FURIA proving that even on an opponent’s pick they were dangerous — setting the stage for their comeback in the series.

Map 3: Nuke (NAVI pick)

On this map, FURIA asserted control early and built a consistent lead, finishing 13-8 over Natus Vincere. The Brazilian side’s cohesion stood out: they secured critical rounds in both halves, limiting NAVI’s ability to string together momentum. While NAVI had flashes of resistance — a handful of rounds showing their firepower — those moments weren’t enough to wrest the initiative. FURIA’s entry kills and coordinated utility use became the difference. On the NAVI side, one or two players gathered solid stats, but the support core and mid-round adjustments lagged. Ultimately, FURIA kept their foot on the gas and carried the map convincingly.

Map 4: Dust 2 (FURIA pick)

On map 4 (Dust 2) of the grand final between FURIA and Natus Vincere, FURIA delivered a commanding performance, closing it out 13-5. The Brazilians dominated in nearly every facet: their team rating reached 1.24 while Na’Vi languished at 0.90. FURIA piled up more first kills (10 to 8) and clutched critical rounds with cohesion. On individual fronts: molodoy notched 18 kills and a 93.2 ADR, while YEKINDAR logged an 88.9 ADR and a strong +4.83 swing, both contributing heavily. Meanwhile Na’Vi’s core faltered: makazze posted only 2.1 K/D swing and a rating of 0.56; Aleksib also under-performed with a rating of just 0.72.

Map 5: Train (Leftover pick, FURIA pick for final)

In the deciding map Train, FURIA absolutely crushed NAVI 13-1. With a team rating of 1.54 vs NAVI’s 0.69, the Brazilians simply out-performed in every category. Key stats: FURIA secured 11 first kills compared to just 3 for NAVI. Stand-out individual performance from Danil ‘molodoy’ Golubenko: 20 kills, ADR over 119, a +15.78 K/D swing, and a rating of 2.22. On the flip side, NAVI’s support core crumbled — players like Aleksib posted a dreadful rating (0.34) and low ADR (20.4) showing how badly they were suppressed.