Fortnite is officially making its return to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2026, announcing the $2,500,000 Reload Elite Series, a global duos competition that will culminate on the biggest esports stage in the world.

The Reload Elite Series Championship will take place in person at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the world’s best duos will compete for an additional $1,000,000 USD prize pool.

How the Reload Elite Series Works

Between January and June, Fortnite will host four global Qualifiers, each following a structured, multi-stage competitive format.

Open Rounds

Each Qualifier begins with two Open rounds, featuring up to 12 matches per Open. Regional advancement differs based on player population:

• EU: Top 2,000 duos advance to Play-Ins
• NAC: Top 1,000 duos advance to Play-Ins
• OCE, ASIA, ME, BR, NAW: Top 500 duos advance to Play-Ins

Play-Ins

Qualified duos compete across two Play-In rounds, each consisting of up to 12 matches. After both rounds conclude, the top 80 duos advance to Heats.

Heats

The 80 remaining duos are split into four Heats, with eight matches per Heat.

• Top 5 duos from each Heat move on to the Final.

Final

The Final features 20 duos competing across eight matches. These Finals determine which teams qualify for the Esports World Cup 2026.

Across all Qualifiers, 40 duos will advance to EWC:

• EU: Top 3 teams qualify
• NAC: Top 2 teams qualify
• NAW, OCE, ASIA, ME, BR: Top team from each region qualifies

Prize Pool Breakdown

• Total Reload Elite Series Prize Pool: $2,500,000
• Heats Prize Pool: $296,000
• Finals Prize Pool: $1,204,800
• Esports World Cup Finals: $1,000,000 USD

The Finals prize pool is distributed across placements, rewarding consistent high-level performance throughout the series.

All official details, rules, and qualifier dates for the Reload Elite Series can be found on Fortnite’s official website.