ChaiViz
02.05.2026
The Thunderpick World Championship 2026 North American Series has reached its most critical point. The playoff bracket runs across May 2 to 4, with four Quarterfinal matchups giving way to back-to-back Semifinals before the Grand Final decides the champion. Some of these matchups are close calls and some are not, but every round matters for your Pick'ems bracket.
Before diving in, head to our Pick’ems section to lock in your picks and compete on the leaderboard. The bracket is moving fast, so get your predictions in before the games go live.
Here is how we see the CS2 matches today and on May 3 playing out across all four Quarterfinal slots.
Wildcard come into this series as the overwhelming favorites, and the numbers back it up. A six-match winning streak heading into the playoffs combined with a 70% win rate over the last 30 days puts them in a different tier from FarmVille at this stage. There is no obvious route to an upset here.
Prediction: Wildcard win
The head-to-head record stands at 5:0 in favor of Zomblers, but context matters here. InControl arrive on a two-match winning streak, and their Mirage is a genuine strength going into this series. That becomes a decisive factor because Mirage is historically one of the worst maps in Zomblers' pool, with a 29% win rate across 14 maps. InControl can target that weakness and the current form gives them the tools to do it.
Prediction: InControl win
BOSS have forfeited this match. Aether advance to the Semifinals without playing and wait for the winner of M80 vs Incognito.
M80 are the clear pick here. A 71% win rate on Mirage across 27 maps over the last six months is exceptional consistency, and they protect the veto intelligently by banning Nuke at a 93% rate. Four wins from their last five matches confirms the form is there going into the playoffs.
Prediction: M80 win
The CS2 scores from both Semifinal matchups should reflect the bracket's natural order, with the two strongest teams advancing.
InControl earned their spot by exploiting Zomblers' map pool weakness, which is smart preparation and good execution. Against Wildcard on a six-match streak though, the gap in overall quality becomes harder to close. Wildcard should handle this one cleanly.
Prediction: Wildcard 2:0
Aether advance on a forfeit, which means they arrive at the Semifinals without match sharpness from the Quarterfinal round. M80 have been playing and winning, and their map pool depth makes them a difficult opponent for any team. This one goes to three maps, but M80 close it out.
Prediction: M80 2:1
The Grand Final on May 4 brings together the two teams that the bracket pointed toward from the start. CS2 tournaments at this level often produce finals that reflect the gap between the field and the top two sides, and that is exactly what this matchup represents.
M80 bring map pool depth and a high-pressure Quarterfinal win. Wildcard bring a six-match winning streak and the momentum to make any opponent uncomfortable. This is the tightest match of the whole event, and we back M80 to edge it. Whether they close it in two or need a third map depends on how much Wildcard's streak-fueled confidence carries over onto the Grand Final stage.
Prediction: M80 win 2:0 or 2:1
##TL;DR
ChaiViz
02.05.2026
Article TAGS
News Feed
The Budapest Major quarterfinals delivered crushing upsets as FaZe and NAVI dismantled favorites MOUZ and FURIA, turning expert predictions into dust and proving that momentum trumps rankings when elimination looms.
The BLAST Open Rotterdam playoffs tested every Gocore Pick'ems strategy, with Aurora and PARIVISION delivering the biggest bracket-breaking upsets. Here is what worked, what failed, and what to carry into future CS2 events.
Veteran in-game leader karrigan is reportedly bound for Team Falcons following IEM Rio, with the move corroborated by multiple credible sources including HLTV.
The Thunderpick World Championship 2026: North American Series opens with four matches that span April 27-28, and the favorites are clear across the board. Here is your full Pick'ems breakdown before the first map loads.
Master the essential positions, smoke lineups, and utility setups that define professional play on Mirage's A bombsite to improve your match analysis and betting decisions in competitive CS2.
IEM Kraków 2026 Stage 2 delivers the decisive bracket phase where monthly Pick'ems rankings are won or lost through disciplined team selection and smart player picks across double elimination chaos.
The PGL Bucharest 2026 Playoffs are here, and we have predictions for every match from quarter-finals to the grand final to sharpen your Pick'ems strategy.
Six teams are set for the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 playoffs, with Vitality and NAVI earning direct semi-final spots and The MongolZ delivering the group stage's biggest upset to complete the bracket heading into the Ahoy Arena.
Vitality crowned IEM Rio 2026 champions with a dominant 3-0 grand final victory over Spirit, securing back-to-back Intel Grand Slams and cementing their place in CS2 history.
ESL Pro League Season 23 opens with eight Swiss System clashes on March 1st, featuring a mix of dominant favourites and two knife-edge matchups that could define early bracket positions. Here are the CS2 predictions you need for opening day.