Fortnite pros are being invited for the World Cup Finals as “alternate players”

Epic Games is inviting professional Fortnite players as a backup for the World Cup Finals in New York City.

These players are the top two most consistent Solo players or part of the top duo who failed to secure a spot for the Finals during the 10 weeks of the Open Qualifiers. Players who got close to qualifying in their region, such as Dmitri “Mitr0” van de Vrie in Europe and Gustavo “Technoviking” Trevisan in Brazil, got invites to be “alternate players” during the Finals.

“Should a player or duo be unable to compete, you will be asked to fill the spot based on regional availability,” Epic’s email reads. “If there is no need for an alternate in the tournament, you will still be allowed to enjoy the event.”

Then, these alternate players will play in case another player from their region fails to go to the event for any reason, such as visa issues or big problems with their flight. The stage where Epic verified if all qualified players were eligible to be in the tournament has concluded, which means there’s little chance a player will be removed due to not meeting criteria to play in the Finals. These alternate players will be an emergency backup so that the event can run with a full lobby.

Alternates are treated like qualified players and receive free flight and hotel from Epic.

Epic’s invite might be hard for some players to accept, though. Some of them are in countries where you need a visa to fly to the U.S., so those without a visa might not have enough time to get it and fly to the event.

Epic hasn’t revealed the full list of alternate players for the event or if any of the qualified players have confirmed they won’t make it to the event.

The Fortnite World Cup Finals will take place in New York City from July 26 to 28.