FNCS (Fortnite Champion Series) is Epic Games’ official year-long esports circuit, ending with the Global Championship on LAN. The 2026 season is worth more than $10 million, played in duos, and finished in Antwerp in September. This page explains how the season is built, when each stage is played, how you qualify and what changes in 2027. Tournament news is in the Fortnite news section.
How an FNCS season works
The season opens with the FNCS Trial, a placement tournament that sorts duos into divisions; in 2026 it ran on 31 January. From there you play Divisional Cups, moving up or down between divisions. Division 1 is the top tier and the only route into a Major. Europe and NA Central have five divisions, the other regions three.
A Major has four steps: Play-Ins, Heats, Last Chance and a two-day Finals with 12 matches. The best duos from each Major Finals earn their place at the Global Championship. FNCS runs in seven regions: Europe, NA Central, NA West, Brazil, Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.
2026 calendar
| Stage | Dates | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| FNCS Trial | 31 Jan 2026 | division placement |
| Major 1 | 6 – 26 Apr 2026 | online, Finals seed the Summit and Globals |
| Major 1 Summit | 29 – 31 May 2026, Düsseldorf | LAN, 75 duos, top 15 to Globals; won by Malibuca and Vico |
| Major 2 | from 18 Jul, Finals 1 – 2 Aug 2026 | online, moved forward by Epic |
| Global Championship Last Chance | from 3 Aug 2026 | online, last 10 duos to Globals; Major 3 was not played |
| Global Championship | 26 – 27 Sep 2026, Antwerp | LAN, 50 duos, $2 million |
| FNCS Solos | 28 Sep – 27 Oct 2026 | new standalone solo competition |
Ignore older schedules that list a Major 3 in autumn. Epic replaced it in May 2026 with the online Last Chance tournament and moved Globals to the end of September.
Global Championship 2026 in Antwerp
The season final was played on 26 and 27 September 2026 at the Lotto Arena. Fifty duos played 12 matches for $2 million; Europe had 21 slots, NA Central 14 and the remaining regions three each. SwizzY and Pixie of HavoK won with 525 points, taking $400,000 for the duo, the trophy and the Axe of Champions pickaxe. It was SwizzY’s second Globals title in a row after the 2025 trios win with Queasy and Merstach. Shxrk and t3eny of AURA finished second by two points, Malibuca and Vico of BIG, the Summit winners, third. The Czech duo Huty and F1shyX, who came through the Last Chance Qualifier, finished 34th of 50 with 188 points.
FNCS 2027: trios are back
From 12 September until the end of Globals, Epic let players vote in-game on the Legends Landing island whether the next season should be duos or trios. On 27 September 2026 Epic announced that trios won, so the main FNCS 2027 Battle Royale competition is played in threes, as in 2025. The 2027 season also includes the Reload Championship and a new Reload Zero Build Championship. Dates have not been published yet.
History of the season finals
| Year | Event | Venue | Format | Winners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Fortnite World Cup | New York, Arthur Ashe Stadium | solo and duo | solo Bugha ($3M), duo David Wang and Emil Pedersen |
| 2022 | FNCS Invitational | Raleigh | duo | Kami and Setty |
| 2023 | Global Championship | Copenhagen, Royal Arena | duo | Cooper and Mero |
| 2024 | Global Championship | Fort Worth, Dickies Arena | duo | Peterbot and Pollo |
| 2025 | Global Championship | Lyon-Décines, LDLC Arena | trio | SwizzY, Queasy and Merstach |
| 2026 | Global Championship | Antwerp, Lotto Arena | duo | SwizzY and Pixie |
The 2019 World Cup with its $30 million prize pool remains the biggest event in the game’s history and has not returned. Epic has not announced a new World Cup; outside FNCS it has a partnership with the Esports World Cup through 2028, where Reload is played.
How to qualify for FNCS
You need to be at least 13 (older where local law requires it, with parental consent for minors), an Epic Games account with two-factor authentication enabled and the eligibility requirements Epic lists on each event page. After that the path is fixed: FNCS Trial, Divisional Cups up to Division 1, a Major, and from there the Summit, Globals or Last Chance. Ranked points play no part; only divisional results move you up. The official season rules are in the Competitive section of the Fortnite website.
Where to watch
Broadcasts run on competitive.fortnite.com, on Twitch and in-game on the Legends Landing map. Epic hands out watch rewards for big events: 30 minutes of Globals 2026 on Twitch with a linked Epic account earned the Champion’s Chargers Kicks. The Antwerp broadcast started at 16:00 CEST each day.
Get involved
FNCS Solos runs until 27 October 2026 and needs no partner. For 2027 start looking for a trio now. Czech players Huty and F1shyX stream on Kick and run Czech and Slovak watch parties for the big finals.
For organizers
Running a tournament or a league? GamersTogether covers events from the announcement to the results, in Czech, English and German, with a permanent place in this guide. See the media kit or get in touch via the contact page.
FAQ
Fortnite Champion Series, Epic Games’ official year-long esports circuit. It runs through divisions and Majors in each region and ends with the Global Championship on LAN.
FNCS Solos runs in October 2026 (until 27 October). The 2027 season is played in trios; Epic has not announced its dates yet.
Duos in 2026, trios in 2027. The 2027 format was decided by an in-game player vote that Epic announced on 27 September 2026.
Be at least 13 with 2FA on your account, play the FNCS Trial and Divisional Cups up to Division 1, then a Major. Three routes lead to Globals: Major Finals, the Summit and Last Chance.
Over $10 million for the 2026 season and $2 million for the Global Championship. The winning duo in Antwerp took $400,000.
SwizzY and Pixie of HavoK with 525 points, ahead of shxrk and t3eny and of Malibuca and Vico.