BIG claim Fortnite championship at Esports World Cup 2026

PARIS: BIG’s Taylor-Petrik “vic0” Gatschelhofer and Danila “Malibuca” Iakovenko have claimed the Fortnite Reload Elite Series Championship at the 2026 Esports World Cup, making them the first team in Fortnite history to win major LAN events back-to-back.

The pair won the FNCS 2026 Major 1 Summit just months ago in May, establishing themselves as one of the top duos in the world, and now have earned back-to-back LAN wins by triumphing at the Esports World Cup, further confirming that title. 

In the long history of competitive Fortnite, no duo has ever won consecutive LAN events — physically present at the same venue — before, making this a historic achievement. Given the fast-paced and chaotic nature of Fortnite, even at the pro level, this feat is one many never thought would happen, showing just how impressive their recent run across events has been. 

The BIG duo qualified for the finals by finishing second in their group, but they failed to have quite the same level of impact on the last day, kicking off with a slow start. They were finally able to climb the rankings as other teams reached match point eligibility, something they earned in Game 11, before securing the title in Game 13 with a Victory Royale. The win earns them the first-place prize of $260,000, and of course, significant bragging rights in the Fortnite scene.

For Malibuca, he chalked the win up to his teammate, saying, “It just feels amazing to have vic0 on my team. I genuinely think that (it was) this game, and many, many other games, but especially this game that we won that led us to win the tournament. If I had anyone else in the world besides vic0 we wouldn’t have won it. Vic0 just eliminated. I’m not sure I’d have to rewatch it, but he just