Fortnite has unveiled the Reload Elite Series with a mammoth $2.5m prize pool, and the finals are set to take place in next year’s Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Open to all players who meet the requirements, which include being ranked at Elite level or higher in Reload Ranked, players across the world will compete for $1.5m during the qualifying stage, with an additional $1m to be distributed at the Esports World Cup.
Fortnite Reload Elite Series Prize Pool & Schedule Revealed
Each qualifier will begin with two Opens, each having up to 12 matches per Open, with the top 2,000 in EU, top 1,000 in NAC, and top 500 in OCE/ASIA/ME/BR/NAW advancing to the Play-Ins.
At the Play-In stage, the top 80 Duos advance to the Heats, and the top five Duos from each Heat advance to the finals. There, 20 Duos face off across eight matches to secure a spot onstage at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
To compete in a Qualifier, players must be ranked Elite or above in Reload, have an Account Level of at least 250, and have participated in 14 tournaments within the past 180 days of the Qualifier. Full eligibility details are available on the Fortnite website.
The first Open in the Qualifiers kicks off on January 8, with the first final on February 8, with three additional rounds of qualifying taking place until June, with June 28 the final date for Duos to secure a spot at the Esports World Cup.
The 2026 Esports World Cup kicks off on July 6, running until August 23, with titles including Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, EA FC 26, League of Legends, and Overwatch 2 participating.
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