The Reload Elite Series Championship, which marked Fortnite’s comeback to the Esports World Cup after a one-year break, experienced a remarkable 481.6% increase in peak audience reach compared to the 2024 edition. It also saw an impressive surge of almost 506% in watch time from the inaugural event, setting new EWC series records for the game.
The Esports World Cup 2026 tournament for Fortnite was different from the previous one in 2024. This time, it was part of the popular builder shooter’s Reload game mode and served as its first-ever Global Championship.
The number of participating Duos was increased from 16 in the Esports World Cup 2024 to 40 this year. This led to an expanded format where a new Survival Stage was added to enhance the excitement and to offer fans more action throughout the competition.
Reload Elite Series Championship sets new viewership records for Fortnite in the EWC series
During Round 13 of the Finals, the Reload Elite Series Championship reached 422.6 Peak Viewers, marking the end of this stage. This represented a significant increase in audience reach compared to the EWC 2024, which peaked at a relatively modest 72.6K viewers.
The Reload Elite Series Championship featured some of the biggest names in Fortnite livestreaming, such as Shaun “aussieantics” Cochrane, Bruno “gorilon” Massieri, Mohammed “faxuty” Eid, Cody “clix” Conrod, and Nicolas “nikof” Frejavise, contributing to its higher viewership than in 2024. This was also evident in the increase of unique broadcasting channels covering the event, rising from 49 to 194 across versions.
This premier Fortnite tournament garnered 4.8 million Hours Watched, over five times the watch time from two years ago. The increase to 40 teams played a significant role in this growth, leading to more matches being played. Furthermore, instead of the traditional Playoffs bracket seen in 2024, this year, the Match Point Format was adopted, ensuring a significant increase in games during the Finals.
The Reload Elite Series Championship also concluded as the second most popular Fortnite event in 2026, trailing only the FNCS 2026 Major 1 Summit. Among all the events at the EWC 2026, it barely made it into the top ten by peak concurrent viewers, surpassing the Dota 2, Valorant, and PUBG competitions.
Reload Elite Series Championship results
Taylor-Petrik “Vic0try0na” Gatschelhofer and Danila “Malibuca” Iakovenko emerged victorious after 13 rounds of the Finals. The duo achieved Match Point Eligibility in Round 11 and finally secured the crucial Victory Royale two games later to claim the title.
The winning Duo each received $130,000 from a total prize pool of $1 million. They also played a key role in assisting their organization, BIG, finish the EWC 2026 on a high note, securing its sole victory this year and propelling the German esports club into the top 20 of the final Club Championship standings.
Header image via EWC