Chapter 5 of Fortnite has been around for a few weeks now, but we’re finally getting serious. The FNCS 2024 season is about to begin! This weekend we’ll see the first of the FNCS 2024 Major 1 Qualifiers. These are players’ first chance to get on the leaderboard for the season and establish their position. How’s it going to work, and how can you follow along with the new FNCS season?

FNCS 2024 Major 1 Qualifiers will kick off the Fortnite Champion Series for the Chapter 5 season. This year, things are divided up into three Majors, followed by a Grand Royale. It’s the qualification process for these Majors that has seen the most changes this season though. It’s a slightly longer process, which might affect things if you’re planning on competing or just trying to keep track of the teams in the lead. This is what you can expect when things start this weekend:

Source: Epic Games

FNCS 2024 Major 1 Qualifiers Begin

The FNCS is the premier tier of Fortnite esports, but it all starts with completely open tournaments. All players from around the world can load into the qualifiers. If they want to make it all the way, they’ll need to get through a rough 5 weeks of competition though. The new format for qualifications takes a little longer.

We start this weekend, where players are taking part in three straight days of competition. This will be followed by a second week of qualifiers, next weekend. There is then a two-week period with no competition. That’s followed by the Semi Finals and the Grand Finals for the FNCS 2024 Major 1 Qualifiers.

To take part in the qualifiers, players need to be in Platinum I or higher for Battle Royale. The FNCS doesn’t run for Zero Builds, unfortunately, only Builds. Once through the qualifiers, players have to make the upper part of the leaderboard to move to the Semis.

When Are the FNCS Qualifiers?

The schedule for the FNCS 2024 Major 1 qualifiers is the same for those playing and trying to follow their favourite Fortnite streamers competing. These are the key sessions to keep in mind.

Qualifier 1 Round 1 – Jan 26
Round 2 – Jan 27
Round 3 – Jan 28
Qualifier 2 Round 1 – Feb 2
Round 2 – Feb 3
Round 3 – Feb 3
Round 4 – Feb 4

These are the sessions where players can take part over the coming weeks. Anyone is free to get involved in the tournaments. Since these events are a more open form of competition, streaming is a bit more complicated than just heading to the main channel. They’re large tournaments with tons of lobbies. If you have a favorite player, the best bet is to watch the stream of their competition. Once we’re through to the Semis though official streams will become a bit easier to follow along with for those wanting to stay on top of Fortnite esports over the new FNCS.