Key Highlights:
- Merstach, Queasy, and SwizzY crowned Fortnite Global Champions 2025 in Lyon, France.
- Trio claimed $450,000 of the $2M prize pool after dominating with consistency and eliminations.
- Event marked the first Global Championship played in trios, with 33 teams competing.
Quick Links:
Competitive Fortnite’s biggest LAN of the year has wrapped up in Lyon, France, and the 2025 Fortnite FNCS Global Championship delivered a spectacle that lived up to its billing.
Thirty-three trios battled across 12 games for a share of the $2 million prize pool, and it was the European trio of Swizzy, Merstach, and Queasy who emerged as champions, earning $450,000 and solidifying themselves as one of the top teams in the world. EU in-fact made up the top 4 teams in a display of total domination.
This was the first-ever Fortnite Global Championship to use the Trios format, and it proved to be an inspired choice. Teams balanced placement strategies with high-elimination games, leading to nail-biting finishes across both days. If you didn’t catch the action, the full 2nd day video replay is posted below:
I’ve watched every FNCS event since the World Cup in 2019, and I’d argue this weekend was one of the cleanest displays of competitive Fortnite we’ve seen, EU dominance continues, but the gap is smaller than many expected.
Event Format
- Dates: September 6–7, 2025
- Mode: Battle Royale (Trios)
- Teams: 33 (99 players total)
- Games: 12 (six per day)
- Scoring: Points awarded through placement and eliminations
- Broadcast start times: 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. GMT
Final Leaderboard – Top 20
| Placement | Team | Wins | Points | Region | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Swizzy, Merstach, Queasy | 3 | 697 | EU | $450,000 |
| 2nd | MariusCOW, Pixie, Vanyak3kk | 0 | 650 | EU | $300,000 |
| 3rd | Setty, Japko, Panzer | 1 | 590 | EU | $225,000 |
| 4th | IDrop, Charyy, Kami | 1 | 539 | EU | $180,000 |
| 5th | Khanada, Rapid, Boltz | 1 | 518 | NAC | $135,000 |
| 6th | Darm, Demus, Pixx | 1 | 512 | EU | $90,000 |
| 7th | Fredoxie, PabloWingu, Tjino | 1 | 511 | EU | $75,000 |
| 8th | P1ng, Wox, Malibuca | 1 | 481 | EU | $60,000 |
| 9th | MrSavage, Chap, Rezon ay | 0 | 403 | EU | $45,000 |
| 10th | Muz, Shadow, Sphinx | 1 | 402 | NAC | $36,000 |
| 11th | K1nG, Fazer, Phzin | 0 | 401 | BR | $33,000 |
| 12th | Stryker, Cadu, Tisco | 1 | 399 | BR | $30,000 |
| 13th | Curly, Reet, Cooper | 0 | 389 | NAC | $27,000 |
| 14th | Veno, Flickzy, Vic0 | 1 | 383 | EU | $27,000 |
| 15th | Peterbot, Cold, Ritual | 0 | 361 | NAC | $24,000 |
| 16th | Pollo, Ajerss, Acorn | 0 | 342 | NAC | $24,000 |
| 17th | Bacca, Parz, PXMP | 0 | 340 | NAW | $21,000 |
| 18th | Clix, Eomzo, Higgs | 0 | 331 | NAC | $21,000 |
| 19th | Sxhool, Ark, Salko | 0 | 313 | NAW | $18,000 |
| 20th | FoCuS, Mikson, Upl | 0 | 264 | EU | $18,000 |
(Full leaderboard available via Epic’s official FNCS results page.)
Game Winners
- Game 7 – P1ng, Wox, Malibuca
- Game 8 – Setty, Japko, Panzer
- Game 9 – Darm, Demus, Pixx
- Game 10 – Muz, Shadow, Sphinx
- Game 11 – Stryker, Cadu, Tisco
- Game 12 – IDrop, Charyy, Kami
Elimination Leaders:
- Fredoxie, PabloWingu, Tjino – 87
- Swizzy, Merstach, Queasy – 61
- Curly, Reet, Cooper – 57
Standout Performances
The 2025 Global Championship underlined just how stacked the international field has become. EU may have dominated the podium, but we saw flashes of brilliance from South America and North America, particularly Khanada’s trio, who looked dangerous throughout.
It broke my heart not to see MrSavage and his trio only finish in 9th place, as I have a soft spot for him and am always rooting for him. Having said that, it was much better placement than last year with the unbelievable slurp cacti nerf that Epic put out days before the event.
The Norwegian OG player had announced his official retirement from competitive Fortnite, but had a change of heart to join up with Chap and Rezon for this latest tournament.
It was an absolute trainwreck of a day for last years winner Peterbot, who ended up finishing outside the top 10.
Though, the biggest shock has to go to Clix, who finished in 18th place and didn’t represent NA well.
What stood out to me most in terms of gameplay and tactics was how trios created room for creativity in mid-game decision-making. The format rewarded synergy more than raw mechanics, which is why teams like Queasy’s consistently came out on top.
If Epic keeps this structure, it could redefine what peak competitive Fortnite looks like.
Looking ahead, all eyes now turn to 2026. With the prize pool growing and regions closing the skill gap, next year’s Championship could be the most competitive FNCS event yet.
