BETBOOM pulled off a reverse sweep to eliminate Falcons at the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 in Malta. The team won the best-of-three semi-final 2-1, losing Anubis 5-13 before taking Dust2 16-14 and Mirage 13-7, according to HLTV, to reach the grand final and stun the tournament favorite.
The result marks the first grand final appearance for in-game leader Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov at an MVP-eligible event since PGL Major Antwerp 2022, per HLTV. Falcons advance to a bronze medal match against Aurora.
How The Falcons BETBOOM TWC 2026 Semi-Final Unfolded
On Anubis, Falcons methodically built a lead with Finn “karrigan” Andersen combining with m0NESY and NiKo to romp to 13-5, per HLTV. But Falcons’ defense crumbled on Dust2 after their 5-1 start, as individual errors, overextensions and dry swings, got punished by Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov and Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko.
On Dust2, BETBOOM forced overtime and took it 16-14, with Magnojez delivering two triple kill rounds in the defensive half, per HLTV. On Mirage, Magnojez led a seven-round spree after BETBOOM won the second-round force-buy in the second half to clinch 13-7 and the match.
Despite winning both pistol rounds on Mirage and a 4-1 start, Falcons could not establish map control as BETBOOM pulled away, per HLTV.
What The Loss Means For Falcons
The loss erased Falcons’ hopes of boosting morale after a rough Fall season, per HLTV. Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin finished the series at the bottom of the board with a 0.84 rating.
Falcons now shift focus to the bronze medal match against Aurora, their last chance to leave the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 with a podium finish instead of an early exit from title contention.
What The Win Means For BETBOOM
Per HLTV, Boombl4 was all smiles after the upset, with Magnojez’s standout performances on Dust2 and Mirage anchoring BETBOOM’s grand final berth.
What’s Next
BETBOOM advances to the grand final; Falcons face Aurora in the bronze medal match.
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