Just a month after ramping up their involvement in esports, the Vodafone Warriors have achieved a huge breakthrough with two of their Warriors Esports team members qualifying for the finals of the world’s biggest esports tournament.

Upper Hutt’s Sam ‘Twizz’ Pearson and Auckland’s Chris ‘CoverH’ Hunt will compete against 49 other duos for a whopping prize pool of $US30 million at the sold-out Fortnite World Cup finals in New York from July 26-28.

Fortnite is one of the world’s biggest free-to-play console games, making $2.2 billion for its developer Epic Games last year.

Warriors Esports co-founder Cameron Russell said the news is “mind blowing” for the new franchise team, not only putting two Kiwis on the esports world stage but also showcasing the Vodafone Warriors’ brand internationally to a new audience.

To have two New Zealanders representing Warriors Esports in the World Cup finals is absolutely huge for us Cameron Russell Warriors Esports co-founder

“To have two New Zealanders representing Warriors Esports in the World Cup finals of a game played by 250 million people worldwide is absolutely huge for us,” he said.

“Esports is still very much a developing market here in New Zealand and even over the Tasman, but to have results like this and have two Kiwis competing at one of the biggest competitions will certainly help us grow the game locally.”

Vodafone Warriors CEO Cameron George said the news is fantastic and will help expand the club’s reach into new audiences and markets.

It’s a booming industry and one we’re proud to be involved in Cameron George Vodafone Warriors CEO

“Warriors Esports is an exciting forum for the club to be involved in as esports continues to grow both locally and globally. It’s a booming industry and one we’re proud to be involved in,” he said.

“As a club we’re always seeking new opportunities to grow our reach and open up new opportunities for us to showcase our brand in different countries and with different audiences.

“We are looking forward to following Twizz and CoverH when they take on the other competitors from across the world in the United States in July.”

The venue for the Fortnite World Cup is the 23,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium, home of the US Open grand slam tennis event, at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.

Find out more about the Fortnite World Cup finals HERE.