May 15, 2025
One of the most-watched women’s esports tournaments, The Milk Cup, is back again this year with a larger prize pool and a revamped competition format. The Milk Cup is dedicated to providing more women with the tools, resources, and opportunities needed to thrive in the competitive gaming world. Competitors this year have a chance to earn part of an overall prize pool of $300,000 USD by competing in Fortnite Build Mode Duos.
Series 1 of The Milk Cup took place in May. Open qualifiers for Series 2 begin July 3rd, with the Main Event kicking off July 10th. Here’s a look at everything you need to know!
What’s Changed?
Following a successful run in 2024, The Milk Cup returns to help showcase and uplift women in the esports community. There have been some enhancements included in The Milk Cup experience this time around.
- The prize pull this year is $300,000 – an increase from last year’s $250,000. This will help to reward top talent even more and elevate the competition.
- This year’s format will include Duos to inspire team-based play and create more opportunities for collaboration. This change in the format came directly from community feedback after last year’s event.
- This year is offering more opportunities to qualify. Although the first series has already passed, there are still two major series scheduled for this year, in July and August. Each main event will help lead to the LAN Championship this fall.
- Also announced this year was the introduction of The Milk Cup Academy, a groundbreaking training and mentorship program designed to help level up and empower women gamers through competitive experience, coaching, and training.
- This year, the event will also be broadcast live from Gonna Need Milk’s Twitch channel to help increase visibility and expand the action to a wider audience.
The Milk Cup Academy
Announced in tandem with The Milk Cup tournament, The Milk Cup Academy is a new Fortnite training program designed to provide women gamers with the resources and opportunities needed to succeed in esports.
This program will include expert coaching from top gaming professionals, including ThePeachCobbler, among others. The academy will also include competitive training along with scrimmages to help sharpen skills in real-time play. Participants will also get wellness and performance support to help players stay focused and prepared. Lastly, academy participants will also have the opportunity to earn rewards and exclusive prizes.
The Milk Cup Academy will be hosted on the official Twitch channel for The Milk Cup.
Tournament Format
The Milk Cup will feature three series leading up to the LAN Championship this fall. Series 1 concluded in May of this year. Open Qualifiers for Series 2 will start on July 3rd, and the Main Event will take place on July 10th. Series 3 will feature open qualifiers starting August 14th, with the main event commencing on August 21st.
In the open qualifiers, you can play up to ten drops, and your top four drops will count towards advancing. The top fifty teams from each open qualifier will move on to the main event. Each Main event will consist of the following format:
- Build Mode Duos
- Six drops, and every drop counts towards your advancement
- Scoring will consist of placement points + eliminations
- The top 15 teams from Series 1 and Series 2 will advance to the LAN Finals, while the top 20 from Series 3 will advance
Get Involved
Registration for The Milk Cup 2025 is currently open. Players of all skill levels are encouraged to sign up and compete! Get involved and play for your chance to make esports history. Here is all the information you will need to know:
- Tournament information and information on how to register can be found at https://gonnaneedmilk.com/compete
- For Community updates, join the Gonna Need Milk Discord
- Follow @GonnaNeedMilk on X and Twitch for live coverage and news!
With more pathways to qualify than ever, now is your chance to take action! Whether you’re just starting your competitive Fortnite journey or you have been in the battlefield for years, this tournament is for you! Do not miss your opportunity to get involved with one of the best and most-watched women’s esports tournaments.
About MilkPEP
Gonna Need Milk is operated by Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), a Washington D.C. based organization funded by America’s milk companies. MilkPEP is dedicated to educating consumers on the benefits of milk and its nutritional value for gamers. Containing thirteen essential nutrients, including protein, calcium, zinc, selenium, vitamin B12, and Vitamin D, milk helps to support focus and provide sustained energy during long gaming sessions. The organization strongly supports this esports initiative, which highlights women competing in esports and provides them with exposure to a wider audience.
MilkPEP Senior Marketing Manager, Jen Grubb, shared:
We are thrilled to bring back The Milk Cup in 2025, reinforcing our deep commitment to the female gaming community and continuing to solidify milk’s place as The Performance Drink of Gamers. Designed in collaboration with women gamers, The Milk Cup is more than just a competition—it’s an opportunity to celebrate, support, and elevate women. This year, we’re proud to expand our impact with The Milk Cup Academy, providing amateur gamers with access to education, mentorship, and a supportive community to help level up their skills and advance their journey toward professional gaming, all fueled by milk.”
Congratulations to the Series 1 qualifiers moving on to the LAN Finals this fall! With Series 2 fast approaching and Series 3 on the horizon, this is sure to be one amazing summer filled with exhilarating competition.