Epic Unveils Fortnite Championship Series 2026 With $10M Prize

Esports company BLAST and Epic Games, Inc. have unveiled the competitive roadmap for the 2026 Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS), setting a prize pool of $10 million USD. The announcement made on Dec 11 outlines a structured path, from online qualifiers to live global finals in Nov 2026. 

The FNCS 2026 season will return the duos competition format, reversing the trios format used in the 2025 competitive cycle. Duos teams will progress from a January FNCS Trial through tiered divisions before competing in three regional Majors that feed into the year’s culminating Global Championship. 

Players who reach the top divisions during Majors 2 and 3 will secure direct qualification paths to the finals, whereas the divisional winners from Major 1 will face off at FNCS Major 1 Summit. Epic’s competitive update also includes two LAN events as part of the official season structure.

FNCS 2026 Format and Schedule

The FNCS 2026 season opens with the FNCS Trial on Jan 31, where competing duos will be placed into a starting division based on performance. Duos then participate in Divisional Cups throughout the season to climb into Division 1, the threshold for access to the Majors. Division Cups finals will also include a share of the prize. 

For a structured play among its global player base, Epic has divided the players across seven regions: Europe, NAC, NAW, Brazil, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. Each area will have three online Majors, with Major 1 starting from Apr 6. The Majors will feature Play-Ins, Heats, Last Chance Qualifier, and Finals. 

The finals are reported to include 12 matches to determine the FNCS Major Champions. Major Champions will receive a share of the prize and an ‘Axe of Champions 3.0’ in-game item during the following Battle Royale season. 

Major 1 will end on Apr 26 after selecting the top duos from each region, who will then face off in the Major 1 Summit, a LAN-based tournament featuring 50 teams altogether in May 2026. The top five competitors from here will advance to the Global Championship. 

Major 2 and Major 3 are slated for Jul 20- Aug 9 and Sep 21- Oct 11, respectively. As mentioned, there will not be any “Summit” for Major 2 and 3; however, the best 26 duos from Major 2 and 19 from Major 3 will get the keys to the Global Championship directly. 

The Global Championship will also be LAN-based, like the FNCS Major 1 Summit, featuring 50 top duos across the world. The finals are reported to feature a $2M prize money. Players are reported to be evaluated on placement points and eliminators. Epic hasn’t disclosed the location of the grand Nov event yet.

Fortnite’s blended structure for FNCS moves beyond purely online qualifiers, emphasizing live events to draw higher media attention. BLAST stated in a press release, “The introduction of the FNCS Major 1 Summit creates a pivotal moment in the competitive calendar,” to underscore the significance of Fortnite’s largest esports circuit.