Aurora Gaming Finishes Third at Thunderpick World Championship 2026

Aurora Gaming secured third place at Thunderpick World Championship 2026 in Counter-Strike 2 after defeating Team Falcons 2-1 in the third-place match. The series took place on October 18 in Malta. The Turkish squad lost Anubis (8-13) but came back to win Dust2 (19-17) and Nuke (13-9). Jimi "Jimpphat" Salo was the standout player of the series, finishing with 69 kills and a 1.37 HLTV Rating 3.0.

Aurora Gaming vs. Team Falcons: Match Results, Anubis: Falcons Wins the Opening Map, Dust2: Aurora Saves the Series in Overtime, Nuke: Aurora Completes the Comeback, Aurora vs. Falcons: Player Statistics, Aurora Overtakes Falcons in the VRS Rankings

Aurora Gaming vs. Team Falcons: Match Results

The third-place match was played in a best-of-three format. Both teams entered the series after losing their semifinal matches.

Aurora had previously lost to FURIA Esports 0-2, while Falcons fell to BETBOOM TEAM 1-2.

Series results:

• Anubis: Aurora 8-13 Falcons.

• Dust2: Aurora 19-17 Falcons.

• Nuke: Aurora 13-9 Falcons.

• Final score: Aurora Gaming 2-1 Team Falcons.

Aurora selected Anubis, Falcons picked Dust2, and Nuke became the deciding map.

Anubis: Falcons Wins the Opening Map

Team Falcons started the series confidently on Anubis. The team won the first half 9-3 with a strong performance on the attacking side.

One of the key players was Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov, who finished the first half with a 2.04 rating.

After switching sides, Aurora attempted to reduce the deficit, but Falcons maintained its advantage and secured a 13-8 victory.

The European squad took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Dust2: Aurora Saves the Series in Overtime

The second map was the most closely contested of the match. Aurora finished the first half of Dust2 with an 8-4 lead while playing on the CT side.

However, Falcons managed to fight back after switching sides. The team recovered from a 7-11 deficit and forced overtime.

Aurora proved stronger in the extra rounds, closing out the map 19-17.

Jimpphat delivered a particularly impressive performance, recording a 1.65 rating on Dust2 and helping his team level the series.

The victory kept Aurora's hopes of securing the bronze medal alive.

Nuke: Aurora Completes the Comeback

On the deciding Nuke, Falcons won the first half 7-5.

After switching sides, the teams reached a 9-9 tie, but Aurora then took complete control of the match.

The Turkish squad won four consecutive rounds and closed out the map 13-9.

AWPer Özgür "woxic" Eker played an important role. On the CT side, he recorded a 2.01 rating and averaged 138.5 damage per round.

The victory on Nuke secured third place for Aurora at Thunderpick World Championship 2026.

Aurora vs. Falcons: Player Statistics

Jimpphat was Aurora's best-performing player, finishing the three maps with 69 kills and 44 deaths.

Key Aurora player statistics:

• Jimpphat: 69 kills, 44 deaths, 1.37 rating.

• XANTARES: 51 kills, 52 deaths, 1.10 rating.

• Wicadia: 56 kills, 48 deaths, 1.01 rating.

Jimpphat also recorded 87.9 average damage per round and a 74.7% KAST.

Falcons' best player was m0NESY. The Russian AWPer recorded 68 kills and 50 deaths, finishing the series with a 1.34 rating.

Despite m0NESY's strong performance, Falcons could not maintain its advantage after winning Anubis.

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Aurora Overtakes Falcons in the VRS Rankings

Aurora's bronze medal at Thunderpick World Championship 2026 brought the team not only prize money but also valuable Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points.

According to HLTV, the team earned 23 ranking points and overtook Falcons in the VRS standings. The result strengthened Aurora's position in the race for a direct invitation to Stage 3 of PGL Major Singapore 2026.

Aurora finished the tournament in third place, while Falcons placed fourth.

Thunderpick World Championship 2026 took place from October 14 to 18 in Malta, featuring eight teams competing for a $1 million prize pool.

For Aurora, this was its second consecutive podium finish following third place at ESL Pro League Season 24. Despite losing in the semifinals, the team ended its tournament campaign with a victory over one of the competition's strongest opponents.