'Fortnite' FNCS Qualifier 3 Start Time, Format, Leaderboard and How to Watch

Fortnite FNCS action continues tonight, as the week 3 qualifiers begin. Want to know how you and your trio can be part of the competition? Wondering where to find the latest leaderboard and video streams? This rundown covers everything you need to know about the upcoming stage.

What time does FNCS qualifier 3 start?

In these open week 3 qualifiers, Fortnite fans around the globe can fight for their chance to participate in the Season 5 FNCS championship. Unlike past tournaments for in-game cosmetics, however, the regional start times for each bout varies wildly. You'll find the full list of start times below listed in Eastern Standard Time.

NA East

• Round 1: February 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST
• Round 2: February 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST

NA West

• Round 1: February 26 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST
• Round 2: February 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST

Europe

• Round 1: February 26 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST
• Round 2: February 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST

Oceania

• Round 1: February 26 from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. EST
• Round 2: February 26 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. EST

Brazil

• Round 1: February 26 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST
• Round 2: February 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 2 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Asia

• Round 1: February 26 from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. EST
• Round 2: February 26 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. EST
• Round 3: February 27 from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. EST
• Round 4: February 28 from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. EST

Middle East

• Round 1: February 25 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST
• Round 2: February 26 from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. EST
• Round 3: February 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST
• Round 4: February 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST

While all these tournaments are technically chances for any skilled Fortnite player to win, it's worth noting that Epic has begun cracking down on players who use the same account to enter multiple instances of the same tournament across different regions. To maintain fair standing, remember that your account can only enter the tournament in one of these regions. Once you've made your choice, it's locked in for good.

How to watch the Season 5 FNCS qualifiers

If you'd rather watch the action instead of play, the best place to do that is on the official Fortnite Twitch channel. This hub stream offers a broad overview of the competition as it unfolds and might even show an occasional peek at the latest standings. As an officially supported stream, fans who watch while logged in with their Twitch accounts might also be eligible for cosmetic drops. Individual streamers will likely be hosting their own matches too, but these hubs condense the action when the possible player pool is so large.

What is the FNCS Season 5 qualifier format?

The FNCS qualifiers operate on a four-round structure with different advancement requirements based on the region in which the matches are played. Here's how the stats break down.

• Round 1: Open to all trios ranked Champion league or higher
• Round 2: Top 1,500 (NAE, NAW, Europe or Brazil) or top 700 (Oceania, Asia or Middle East)
• Round 3: Top 250 (NAE, Europe), top 200 (NA West or Brazil) or top 150 (Oceania, Asia or Middle East)
• Round 4: Top 33 trios in each region

Once you enter any phase of the qualifier, you'll be playing the game using a fairly basic trios format. The points are doled out in the following manner.

• 10 Matches
• Victory Royale: 25 Points
• Second: 20 Points
• Third: 16 Points
• Fourth: 14 Points
• Fifth: 13 Points
• Sixth: 12 Points
• Seventh: 11 Points
• Eighth: 10 Points
• Ninth: nine Points
• 10th: eight Points
• 11th: seven Points
• 12th: six Points
• 13th: five Points
• 14th four Points
• 15th: three Points
• 16th: two Points
• 17th: one Point
• Eliminations: one Point each

Round 4

• Six Matches
• Victory Royale: 30 Points
• Second: 25 Points
• Third: 20 Points
• Fourth: 14 Points
• Fifth: 13 Points
• Sixth: 12 Points
• Seventh: 11 Points
• Eighth: 10 Points
• Ninth: nine Points
• 10th: eight Points
• 11th: seven Points
• 12th: six Points
• 13th: five Points
• 14th four Points
• 15th: three Points
• 16th: two Points
• 17th: one Point
• Eliminations: two Points each

The top 10 teams from each region that win these stages of qualifiers will be eligible to advance to the semi-finals.

Where to find the latest FNCS leaderboard and standings

Whether you're watching the FNCS qualifiers or playing in them, having access to the latest leaderboard is very important. Especially during these large-scale tournaments, we've found the best way to check the standings is by going to the Competitive tab in Fortnite while the matches are underway. Once you highlight the tile for a certain tournament, you should be given the option to view the leaderboard. Epic also has its own leaderboard website too.

In the event those official methods don't work, a third-party stats site like Fortnite Tracker may also be helpful. Just double check to make sure you're viewing the stats for your region. If you want a look at the complete series points leaderboard, here's an official link for that as well.

That's all there is to know about the FNCS week 3 qualifiers.

Fortnite is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Android.

Will you be playing in the week 3 qualifiers? Who do you expect to see at the top of the leaderboard? Tell us in the comments section!