'Fortnite' Pelé Cup Start Time and How to Get the Air Punch and Kickoff Set Early

Fortnite hosts the Pelé Cup on January 20, and we want to make sure you're fully prepared for football Battle Royale bliss. Want to know what time the tournament starts and what to do to get the Air Punch emote early? You've come to the right place. Here are the official details regarding schedules, rules, rewards and more.

What time is the Pelé Cup in Fortnite?

Generally speaking, the Pelé Cup is set to run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time across most territories. Playing outside your normal region may require some additional time zone conversion, so we've provided a full schedule of regional start times in Eastern Standard Time for those who might need it:

• NA East: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• NA West: 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
• Europe: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Oceania: 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
• Brazil: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Asia: 4 a.m. to 7 a.m.
• Middle East: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Just follow these above-listed times, and there's no way you can possibly miss Pelé Cup action.

How does scoring work in the Pelé Cup?

Like most Fortnite tournaments, the Pelé Cup is open to all players ranked in the Open Competitive Division or higher with two-factor authentication enabled. For more info on how 2FA works in Fortnite, read our 2FA guide.

The format is Solos, using the scoring system below. Each player has three hours to play a maximum of 10 matches.

• Victory Royale: 20 points
• Second: 15 points
• Third: 13 points
• Fourth/fifth: 10 points
• Sixth - 10th: eight points
• 11th - 15th: seven points
• 16th - 20th: six points
• 21st - 25th: five points
• 26th - 30th: four points
• 31st - 40th: three points
• 41st - 50th: two points
• 51st - 75th: one point
• Eliminations: one point each

How to get the Air Punch emote and Kickoff Set early

The particularly special typing about Fortnite's Pelé Cup is that it features a handful of unique rewards that will make their way to the Item Shop on January 23. However, just like with the Marvel Cups before this one, placing high enough in this tournament allows you to unlock these cosmetics early and for free. Those at the very top of their respective leaderboards will have the chance to win a custom signed shirt as well. Here's how the reward tiers break down.

Note that the Kickoff Set includes the following skins:

• Midfield Master
• Sgt. Sweeper
• Galactico
• Power Poacher
• Breakaway
• Striker Specialist
• Shot Stopper
• Derby Dominator
• Tiki Tackler
• Pitch Patroller

NA East

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-3,500th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

NA West

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-500th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

Europe

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-3,500th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

Oceania

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-250th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

Brazil

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-500th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

Asia

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-250th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

Middle East

• First-third: Signed FC Santos Jersey
• First-250th: Air punch emote and Kickoff skin set

As with all of Fortnite's open tournaments, the easiest way to check your spot on the leaderboard is to go to the page for the tournament in the Competitive tab while the matches are underway. There, you should be able to press a button to see the latest active leaderboard. If that's not possible, a site like Fortnite Tracker may help. Just make sure you're looking at the correct results for your region.

Those involved with the tournament expressed excitement for the partnership. "The collaboration is part of an ongoing strategic effort to connect Pelé with the next generation of football fans. Introducing Pelé to millions of young gamers on their terms provides an entirely new platform to grow his legacy," says Craig Howe, CEO of Rebel Ventures, "We're excited to see Pelé seamlessly integrated into the Fortnite universe, and continue to build on his incredible life and football journey."

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

What are your thoughts on Fortnite's Pelé Cup based on these rewards? Will you be fighting to reach the top of the leaderboard? Tell us in the comments section!