XSET completed an undefeated run through the Fortnite tournament at the Esports World Cup by defeating Exceed 4-2 in the grand final for the $400,000 first prize on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
XSET did not drop a map during the group stage, where all matches were best-of-five, to advance to the playoff bracket as Group A champions. After a 4-0 quarterfinal win over Gaimin Gladiators on Saturday, XSET took down HEROIC 4-1 in the semifinals before outshining Exceed in the grand final.
All matches in the group stage were best-of-five before the single-elimination playoffs moved to best-of-seven matches.
American Joseph “Ritual” Mauro of XSET won tournament MVP honors, which came with a $50,000 bonus prize.
XSET and Exceed traded maps to begin the grand final. XSET won 3-0 on Chalet Capture the Flag before Exceed scored a 250-228 win on Panther Hardpoint. XSET eked out a 2-1 win on Taverna Zoni Keeper, and Exceed answered with a 2-1 victory on Panther Capture the Flag.
That’s when XSET pulled away, destroying Exceed 250-166 on Chalet Hardpoint before prevailing 2-0 on Taverna Zoni Keeper to lock up the title.
In the semifinals, XSET opened with a 1-0 win on Chalet Capture the Flag before HEROIC got on the board with a 250-167 triumph on Panther Hardpoint. XSET ran the table from there, winning 2-1 on Taverna Zoni Keeper, 2-1 on Panther Capture the Flag and 250-223 on Chalet Hardpoint. XSET’s Joshua “Cold” Butler of the U.S. won MVP honors in that match.
In the other semifinal, Exceed beat Karmine Corp 4-2.
Exceed earned a two-map lead by taking Panther Capture the Flag 1-0 and Panther Hardpoint 250-238. Karmine Corp fought back with a 2-0 victory on Taverna Zoni Keeper, but Exceed matched that with a 2-0 win on Chalet Capture the Flag. Karmine Corp fended off elimination 250-233 on Chalet Hardpoint, but Exceed ended things on the next map, winning 2-0 on Taverna Zoni Keeper.
American-Vietnamese Exceed player Jarvis “Kwanti” Duong was named MVP of that semifinal.
Esports World Cup 2024 Fortnite prize pool (money, EWC club points)
1. $400,000, 1,000 points — XSET
2. $160,000, 600 points — Exceed
3-4. $80,000, 275 points — HEROIC, Karmine Corp
5-8. $40,000, 60 points — Gaimin Gladiators, R8 Esports, Team Falcons, Dignitas
9-12. $20,000, no points — DRAGONS eSports, PWR, KS7, BIG
13-16. $10,000, no points — ZETA DIVISION, AI Ula, Fnatic, w7m esports
–Field Level Media
