16-year-old Bugha wins Fortnite World Cup, takes home $3 million

Olivia Richman Published 29/07/2019

Fortnite player Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf is $3 million richer after becoming the first Fortnite World Cup Solo champion. 

The 16-year old player who represented Sentinels beat 99 other qualifiers, including many well-known streamers and signed professionals. 

“Today was definitely the day,” Bugha tweeted immediately following the win. 

Fortnite World Cup: A life-changing victory

The Solo finals started with a concert by DJ Marshmello, who had a very popular in-game concert earlier in the year. Fans continued to cheer as the competition began.

Bugha took the first game after some aggressive play. While that immediately placed him atop the leaderboard, he wasn’t seen again until match four. 

Meanwhile, European player Clément “Skite” Danglot took game two, and popular North American player Danny “Dubs” Walsh took game three after a nail-biting one on one against Team Liquid’s River “Riversan” Handley. Harrison “Psalm” Chang, Nate “Kreo” Kou, and Theo “Crue” Ferrer took games four, five, and six. 

Though Bugha only won the one game, he was ahead by a massive 15 points and 18 eliminations thanks to aggressive plays throughout the tournament. 

Being a 16-year-old multi-millionaire may sound shocking but the average age at the event was around that mark, per the announcers. 

Yesterday’s duo finals saw 16-year old Emil Bergquist “Nyhrox” Pedersen split the $3 million first place prize with his partner David “Aqua” Wang, 17. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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