Thunderpick World Championship 2026 continues on October 15 with Aurora Gaming vs Ninjas in Pyjamas and 9z Team vs Team Falcons.
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 continues on Thursday, October 15, with the second round of games in Group A, when Aurora Gaming and Ninjas in Pyjamas will fight for survival, while 9z Team and Team Falcons face off for a spot in the playoffs.
At Esportbet, you can find free Counter-Strike 2 betting predictions and tips for the two games, along with odds from the top-rated CS2 bookmakers.
Aurora Gaming started Thunderpick World Championship with a 0-2 loss against 9z Team, who bested the Turkish squad with 13-11 on Inferno and 13-1 on Nuke.
It was a complete collapse from Aurora, who not long ago won a bronze medal at ESL Pro League Season 24; however, considering the packed and demanding schedule they have had, some fatigue could be setting in.
This can create an opportunity for Ninjas in Pyjamas to do some damage on Thursday and bounce back from their 0-2 loss against Team Falcons.
While an expected defeat, NIP showed up on the day and pushed the Falcons to their limits on Ancient, losing 13-16, before losing Dust2 6-13.
Ninjas in Pyjamas are one of the lowest-rated teams of the tournament, but they are in good shape, and as shown on Wednesday, they are capable of playing close games with stronger teams.
Aurora, on the other side, looked weak in the opening series, and with the fatigue seemingly setting in, it is not crazy to believe that NIP can take a map.
Ninjas in Pyjamas +1.5 maps
Team Falcons took care of business in the first round of Group A and defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0.
They had to dig deep to win Ancient in overtime, but did not struggle on Dust2, thus living up to their tag as heavy favourites.
9z Team, on the other hand, cooked up an upset against the fatigued Aurora Gaming and bested the Turkish outfit with 13-11 and 13-1.
It was a very solid showing from the South American squad, especially Luciano “luchov” Herrera and Matias “HUASOPEEK” Ibañez Hernandez, who had a field day and posted 1.61 and 1.45 performance ratings, respectively.
9z Team have been very underwhelming for months now, struggling to leave a lasting mark in bigger events.
But they have been showing some signs of life of late, and with some momentum on their side, 9z can trouble the inconsistent Falcons.
9z Team +1.5 maps
Mark Prezelj
Esports Betting Analyst
Mark Prezelj is a Slovenian esports betting analyst with over 3,500 articles at EsportBet and the founder of Lines64.com — someone who has been reading odds longer than most readers have been watching esports.
