100 Thieves have been knocked out of contention for the Thunderpick World Championship 2026 after suffering a decisive 0-2 defeat against HOTU in the playoff round. With qualification rules permitting only first-place finishers to advance to the main event, thirteen other teams now share the same fate as 100 Thieves and the eliminated Wildcard squad.
The opening map Anubis saw 100 Thieves fall behind early, trailing 1-5 in the initial rounds. However, Alex "poiii" Nyholm Sundgren sparked a comeback streak that brought the team level at 6-6 by halftime. Despite securing the pistol round in the second half, the North American roster couldn't withstand HOTU's rifle-powered terrorist side, led by the exceptional performance of David "n0rb3r7" Danielyan. The map concluded 8-13 in HOTU's favor.
Moving to Mirage, 100 Thieves' own map selection, the team managed a 5-7 scoreline at the break. HOTU maintained their aggressive tempo from Anubis, claiming the second pistol round and building momentum. Although 100 Thieves mounted a response to equalize at 9-9, that ninth round marked their final victory of the match. Dmitriy "mizu" Kondratev and his HOTU teammates closed out the remaining rounds without conceding another loss, sealing the series and their qualification hopes.
