Fortnite's FNCS Global Championship 2026 starts September 26 in Antwerp with $2M prize pool

The FNCS Global Championship 2026 begins September 26 at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium, marking the first time Epic Games and BLAST have hosted the season finale in the country. The tournament runs through September 27 with 50 duos competing across 12 games for a $2,000,000 prize pool.

This is the first Fortnite Global Championship in Antwerp. BLAST and Epic Games selected the Benelux location for accessibility to fans across Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. BLAST has organized competitive Fortnite events since 2021 and signed a multi-year deal with Epic Games in January 2024 to run both regional Majors and the Global Championship.

The tournament returns to duos format after 2025 ran in trios. The 2023 and 2024 editions were also played as duos. Fifty qualified duos will compete across 12 games with points awarded for placement and eliminations. The broadcast starts at 4 PM CEST each day, with the first match at 5 PM CEST. Doors at the Lotto Arena open at 2 PM CEST on both days.

Teams qualified through three stages. The Major 1 Summit in Düsseldorf from May 29 to 31 sent the top 15 duos from a 75-team field to the Global Championship. Major 2, held online across seven regions in late July and early August, sent 25 duos to Antwerp. The Last Chance Qualifier filled the remaining 10 spots.

vic0 and Malibuca, playing for BIG, won the Major 1 Summit and secured a direct spot at Globals along with a $250,000 grand prize. vic0, an Austrian player, posted the highest damage output of any player across the Summit weekend. The duo later won the inaugural Fortnite Reload Elite Series at the Esports World Cup 2026, their second consecutive Tier 1 LAN title. Sky and Scroll won the European leg of Major 2, qualifying alongside eight other European duos.

The winning duo will be crowned Fortnite world champions and receive the FNCS Global Championship trophy, made by British silverware maker Thomas Lyte. The $2,000,000 prize pool matches the 2024 edition in Fort Worth. The wider FNCS 2026 season, including regional Majors and the Summit, has distributed over $10 million in prize money.

Fans can watch the tournament live on Fortnite's official broadcast channels, with co-streams running from several creators. Viewers watching through eligible channels can earn a Twitch Drop called The Champion's Chargers Kicks. Tickets for the Lotto Arena are sold only as two-day combo packages covering both September 26 and September 27.

This is the fourth edition of the FNCS Global Championship. Peterbot and Pollo hold the record for the most Victory Royales at a single Global Championship, with four wins during the 2024 event.