We all know who the best team in the world is in Rainbow Six, well, when Six Invitational rocks around at least. But which nation produces the best talent? Get ready to show some national pride, as Ubisoft is launching the first ever Rainbow Six World Cup in 2021.
There’s one thing to cheer on your favorite team. Allegiances to organizations like SpaceStation, G2, and Fnatic know no global boundaries in Siege.
However, there’s a whole other level of fandom — national pride. It comes out at the Six Invitational, or any major Rainbow Six event. No matter which teams are in the final, often fans will cheer for their local legends.
“We noticed during our events that both professional players and fans showcased their national pride and enthusiasm,” said François-Xavier Dénièle, Esports Director at Ubisoft. “As we saw all the different flags in the audience and international rivalries emerge, we began nurturing the idea of creating such a competition.”
Ubisoft is finally bringing that fandom even closer to home. Following in the footsteps of the Overwatch World Cup, the PUBG Nations Cup, and other tournaments like it, Siege is finally getting its first World Cup in 2021, and it’s truly going global.
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For the first time in Siege history, 45 nations will take part in the Rainbow Six World Cup in the hopes of being named the top nation in Rainbow Six globally. It’s the first country-based tournament at this major level for Rainbow Six.
“The Rainbow Six World Cup is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for fans to share their love, pride and unconditional support with the team that will represent them on the worldwide stage,” Ubisoft said in the September 10 announcement at Ubisoft Forward.
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— Rainbow Six Esports (@R6esports) September 10, 2020
Which teams will be competing in the Rainbow Six World Cup?
45 nations will be participating in Ubisoft’s first World Cup for Rainbow Six. Of those 45, 14 teams will be directly invited into the finals. 31 other nations will be invited to five different regional qualifiers, with six spots on the line to round out the 20-team event.
All nations with major regional leagues have already been given a spot in the final stage, like the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and a handful of European nations. You can find a full list of participating teams below:
Directly invited to final stage
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Russia
- South Korea
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- United States
EU qualifier (2 spots in final stage)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- Hungary
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
LATAM qualifier (1 spot in final stage)
- Argentina
- Chile
- Colombia
- Peru
APAC North qualifier (1 spot in final stage)
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
APAC South qualifier (1 spot in final stage)
- Bangladesh
- India
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
Middle East and Africa qualifier (1 spot in final stage)
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Morocco
- Saudi Arabia
When is the first Rainbow Six World Cup?
The Rainbow Six World Cup is a near year-long affair. Starting on September 14, the team selection process will begin. Three managers will be picked by Ubisoft, players, and the community to help run the team. They’ll then select the five players to represent their nation at the World Cup.
- Read more: Operation Shadow Legacy now live
In the early months of 2021, the five global qualifiers to determine the final six seeds will take place. While Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed the dates, it’s likely they’ll take place around the time of the Six Invitational in February.
Then, 20 teams will converge in a potential LAN final stage mid-way through 2021. This will likely fall sometime after the first Major of 2021 in June, before Stage 2 of pro play kicks off. These dates are all speculative though, and nothing has been confirmed by Ubisoft outside of general windows.
