Fortnite announces $2.5M Reload Elite Series qualifier for the Esports World Cup

Fortnite will return to the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Saudi Arabia this summer after a one-year hiatus with the Reload Elite Series competition. Rather than Battle Royale, Zero Build, or the experimental ESL rotation, the beloved Reload game mode will debut at EWC 2026 alongside a $2.5 million prize pool.

This article covers everything you need to know about the Reload Elite Series, including how you can qualify for the Esports World Cup and the prize pool breakdown.

The Reload Elite Series is your path to the Esports World Cup 2026. This Duos competition is open to all players who meet the specified prerequisites, which we will cover shortly. Competitors can queue up to four online Qualifiers across the next six months, from January through June.

Each Qualifier consists of four Open rounds, during which only a limited number of teams can advance to the Play-Ins. From there, the top 80 Duos per region will proceed to play in one of four Heats, with 20 Duos per Heat.

The top five Duos per Heat will then advance to the Finals, where only the top team or teams will secure their spot at the 2026 Esports World Cup. That process will repeat four times over the next few months until all EWC spots fill up.

Here's a look at the Fortnite Reload Elite Series schedule:

The format may be a bit confusing, so let's break down exactly how many teams will qualify for each round throughout the Reload Elite Series Qualifiers. Each region varies by player base, so Europe and NA Central will have more spots than Oceania and Asia.

Players will compete for a total of $2.5 million across the Qualifiers and the 2026 Esports World Cup. Epic Games has allocated $1.5 million to the Qualifiers, with the remaining $1 million available at EWC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Beginning with the Qualifiers, potential prize earnings won't apply until teams reach the Heats of each Qualifier, at which point they will share $296,000. Teams that rank in the top 20 will then earn a share $1.2 million. For example, the winning team from each Qualifier in Europe will receive $15,000 per player.

Here is a look at the prizing for the Finals of each Reload Elite Series Qualifier:

The prize breakdown for the Esports World Cup is currently unclear.

You must meet the following requirements before competing in the Reload Elite Series:

That covers everything you need to know about the Reload Elite Series on the road to Fortnite's return at the Esports World Cup. We expect the best of the best to compete and qualify for the Finals in Riyadh, but only time will tell.