The SAL Challenger Circuit will be dedicated to all aspiring professional players and teams in South America as their dedicated path to pro and will include all official tournaments organized by Ubisoft and partnered third parties.

By competing in SAL Challenger Circuit tournaments, teams will earn their place in the spotlight and earn circuit points. At the end of the competitive season, the best teams will receive direct qualification to the circuit playoffs and a chance to earn a spot in the advanced stages of the Challenger Finals 2027 (formerly known as Challenger Series), positioning them as frontrunners for Regional League promotion.

During the year, circuit points will not just accumulate across our two primary tournaments --- Liga Start and Challenger League (formerly known as Copa Sulamericana) --- but can also be earned through partnered homologated tournaments.

All tournaments mentioned in this page:

• Full Challenger Circuit Overview
• LIGA START
• CHALLENGER LEAGUE
• NEW T3 TOURNAMENTS - King of Maps & The Contender
• PARTNER TOURNAMENTS

2026 sal challenger circuit overview

• 2 Tournaments - Liga Start R$120.000 prize pool, starting April 16th and Challenger League with R$270.000!

• End of the season Playoffs now called Challenger League Playoffs will be a 2000 points tournament - R$150.000 prize pool.

• Circuit Points for every tournament and earn Circuit Points through licensed partner tournaments and get access to advanced stages of Challenger Finals 2027 NEW
  

The following points will be distribute:

• 2000 points - Challenger Circuit Finals
• 1000 points - Liga Start and Challenger League
• Any other tournament will grant between 250 and 500 points --- stay tuned for participation details and start earning points!
  

sal challenger circuit official tournaments

Each primary tournament allows teams to compete for a prize pool of R$120,000 per event while also earning the highest amount of points in the Challenger Circuit.\ Winning one of these tournaments is your best chance of securing a spot in the Challenger Circuit Playoffs --- and potentially advancing to the Challenger Finals 2027!

The Challenger Circuit Playoffs in December 2026 will feature the top point-earning teams of the year competing in a playoff for 2000 points. Last year featured only the Tier 2 Finals --- this year will be a much bigger event!

The first tournament to start this year will be Liga Start on April 16th.

Check out the full year timeline:

liga start - 1000 points

Before you know it Liga Start Kicks off the 2026 SAL Challenger Circuit as the first primary tournament.

The tournament will take place between April 16th and August 1st with a R$120.000 cash prize and a revamped qualification method mirrored across all Primary Tournaments for a consistent experience.

Total prize pool will be R$120.000 the same as last year.

Registration are open here:

Phase #1

LIGA Start Open Qualifier 1: April 16/17th (Sign up)

LIGA Start Open Qualifier 2: April 22/23th (Sign up)

LIGA Start Open Qualifier 3: April 27/28th (Sign up)

LIGA Start Open Qualifier 4: May 2nd (Sign up)

Phase #2 - PLAY-IN

After the qualifiers are complete, Liga Start will officially become a Tier 2 with next level teams competing in the play-in! 7 Playdays in total.

Phase 3 - PLAYOFF

challenger league - 1000 points

The Copa Sulamericana this year will be renamed Challenger League to adapt to the new Challenger Circuit system. For this year, we will introduce a new level of competition for Tier 2 teams, fighting for the best chance to compete in later rounds against Tier 1 teams.

The total prize pool will be R$270.000.
## NEW TOURNAMENTS

kings of maps (rei dos mapas) - 250 points / r$20.000

Open Qualifiers (Phase 1) -

Qualifier #1 (SIGN UP) / Qualifier #2 (SIGN UP ) / Qualifier #3 (SIGN UP)\ Three open qualifiers will be played in a BO1 (Best of 1) format. Before each qualifier, the community votes on 1 map out of 3 randomly selected maps from the competitive pool (9 total). All matches in that qualifier are played on the chosen map, ensuring all 9 maps are covered across the three qualifiers.

Map Selection & Qualification Logic\  Each qualifier uses a single community-selected map, creating a unique environment per event. Across the three qualifiers, different maps are used, and teams qualify based on their performance (2-4 teams per qualifier depending on structure).

Finals (Phase 2 - BO3)\ The Finals are played in a BO3 (Best of 3) using the three maps selected during the qualifiers. The higher-seeded team picks the first map, the opponent picks the second, and the remaining map is used if needed. The winner is crowned as the "King of Maps," proving dominance across all community-chosen maps.

the contender (o desafiante) - 250 points - r$20.000

A dynamic, continuous competition where teams climb and defend their position in a ladder, aiming to be the first to reach 10 wins---rewarding consistency, endurance, and momentum.

• Format

16 teams total:

8 from Liga Start

4 from Qualify #1

4 from Qualify #2

All matches are played in BO1 (Best of 1)

• Progression System

The tournament follows a ladder / king-of-the-hill format:

The 1st place from Liga Start faces the 2nd place

The winner then faces the 3rd place, and so on

After all Liga Start teams, qualified teams enter the sequence

The winning team keeps advancing and defending its position

• Win Conditions

No traditional bracket:

The first team to reach 10 wins is crowned Champion

The second and third teams to reach 10+ wins secure 2nd and 3rd place

The winner of the final match played receives an extra bonus prize

• Map Rules

First match: standard veto process

All following matches:

The challenger picks the map

The team on the table chooses the side (attack/defense)

This is the first two new tournaments! More new tournaments for our community will be announced soon!

challenger circuit partner tournaments

On top of our official competitions, Partner Tournaments run by third party tournament organizers will be fully integrated into the Challenger Circuit ecosystem with each tournament earning your Challenger Circuit points, giving players more consistent and varied opportunities to compete. These events will contribute to the broader qualification journey, aligning grassroots and third-party competitions with the official path towards our Regional Leagues.

Want to be a partner for a points-eligible secondary tournament?

Partnered secondary tournaments will receive additional support from Ubisoft

• Must abide by secondary circuit tournament rules
• Circuit tournaments must take place between March - October 2026
• Must be on PC
• Not all tournaments will be eligible, and Ubisoft will review each tournament to ensure it is the right fit for the circuit.
• To apply to become a circuit tournament, organizers can choose the custom license option via the link below and request it under "Relevant Information": https://r6esports.com/tournament-license

Today we are happy to announce the first group of partner tournaments that will be part of the circuit in 2026: Liquid Arena, Imperial The Last Pixel, Straxel and many more!

SIGN UP NOW!

Ready to rise through the ranks? Prove your skills and earn your spot in the SAL Challenger Circuit.

🔗 Register now for Liga Start and Rei dos Mapas !

Check for more info around Rainbow Six Esports here: http://www.rainbow6.com/esports and follow us on https://x.com/R6esportsBR

Stay tuned for more announcements concerning the SAL Challenger Circuit!