R6 Esports | Welcome to the BLAST R6 Season 2026!

Welcome to the BLAST R6 Season 2026!

15 de febrero de 2026

The BLAST R6 Season 2026/27 promises a HUGE year of global Rainbow Six Esports competition, beginning with the Challenger Series and culminating in the Six Invitational 2027.

Through the brand-new Season Kickoff, Regional Leagues, two Majors, the Esports World Cup and Last Chance Qualifiers, teams from around the world will compete across regional and international stages to earn SI Points and secure their place at the world championship.

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - 2026 Roadmap

challenger series 2026

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - challenger series

The 2026 season begins with Challenger Series, the entry point into top-tier Rainbow Six Esports competition.

Across all participating regions, aspiring teams compete for the opportunity to advance into their respective regional leagues and establish themselves in the global ecosystem.

There are four regions participating in the Challenger Series:

SAL - South America League
NAL - North America League
EML - Europe MENA League
APL - Asia Pacific League

dates

phase 1 - qualifiers:

Open Qualifier #1 - February 21
Open Qualifier #2 - February 22
Open Qualifier #3 - February 28
Open Qualifier #4 - March 1

phase 2 - swiss format:

March 3 - 8

phase 3 - finals:

March 12 - 15

For more information about the format and how you can participate, please see the details HERE.

season kickoff

The Season Kickoff is the new opening stage for Tier 1 teams, delivering a fast‑paced test that awards SI Points, May Major slots, and a prize pool. Every match counts, and a strong start can set the trajectory for the entire season.

group stage format

sal/nal/eml

10 teams, Single Round Robin, best-of-1
Top 8 teams qualify for Kickoff Finals

finals format

sal/nal/eml

Double elimination bracket, best-of-3
Top 4 finishers qualify for the Major

apl season kickoff format

8 teams, double elimination bracket, best-of-3 (no group stage)
Winners of Oceania and APAC North qualify for the Major
Winner and runners-up of Asia qualify for the Major

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - KICKOFF

start dates & times

group stages:

SAL: March 31 at 18:00 BRT/21:00 UTC
NAL: April 1 at 16:00 EST/21:00 UTC
EML: March 30 at 17:00 CET/15:00 UTC

finals:

SAL: April 18 at 13:00 BRT/16:00 UTC
NAL: April 20 at 16:00 EST/21:00 UTC
EML: April 15 at 17:00 CET/15:00 UTC
APAC NORTH: March 27 at 13:00 JST/KST/04:00 UTC
ASIA: March 28 at 15:00 SGT/07:00 UTC
OCEANIA: March 29 at 13:00 AEDT/02:00 UTC

regional league updates

In 2026, each stage will independently crown a Stage Champion, reinforcing consistent performance across the season. Every stage will consist of a Group Stage followed by Stage Finals.

EML / NAL / SAL: 10-team Group Stage, Top 6 advance to Stage Finals
APL (APAC North, Asia, Oceania): 8-team Group Stage, Top 4 advance to Stage Finals (reduced from 6)

The standalone Regional League Finals have also been removed. With regional champions now being decided stage-by-stage, qualification to the Six Invitational becomes a season-long race driven by SI Points rather than one that requires a regional finals. This also frees space in the calendar for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC).

stage 1 start dates

SAL Stage 1 Starts June 13
NAL Stage 1 Starts June 11
EML Stage 1 Starts June 8
APAC North Stage 1 Starts June 12
Asia Stage 1 Starts June 10
Oceania Stage 1 Starts June 8

cn league (cnl)

This year, we welcome our fifth regional league to the global esports ecosystem: the CNL! The CNL will follow a similar regional league structure to the EML, NAL, and SAL, and will have its own qualification pathways to international events. We will have more information to share over the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

blast r6 majors

qualification

The top 4 teams from the CNL, NAL, EML, SAL and APL qualify for the May Major based on their performance in the Season Kickoff (CNL will qualify separately), and the November Major based on their performance in Stage 2.

apl major qualification

Major qualification in 2026 introduces a more dynamic allocation model across APAC North, Asia, and Oceania.

For the first Major of the season, qualification will be determined through the Season Kickoff:

The Season Kickoff Champion in APAC North qualifies
The Season Kickoff Champion in Oceania qualifies
The Season Kickoff Champion and Runner-up in Asia qualify

For Stage 2:

The Stage Champion from APAC North qualifies for the November Major
The Stage Champion from Asia qualifies for the November Major
The Stage Champion from Oceania qualifies for the November Major
The fourth and final APL slot will be awarded to the runner-up of the subregion with the strongest combined performance across the previous two international events

This updated system rewards international competitiveness while maintaining balanced representation across the APL.

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - MAJOR

phase 1 - gsl stage

Phase 1 will feature 8 teams in a GSL double-elimination bracket format.

This phase includes the lowest-seeded qualified teams:

EML Seed 4
NAL Seed 4
SAL Seed 4
APL Seed 4
APL Asia Seed 3
CNL Seed 2
CNL Seed 3
CNL Seed 4

The Top 4 teams from Phase 1 advance to Phase 2.

phase 2 - swiss stage

Phase 2 will feature 16 teams competing in a Swiss format.

This stage includes:

The 4 qualified teams from Phase 1
All remaining directly qualified teams

The Top 8 teams advance to Phase 3.

phase 3 - playoffs

The final phase will feature the Top 8 teams in a double-elimination bracket.

All matches are Best-of-3
The Grand Final will be played as a Best-of-5

esports world cup 2026

Rainbow Six Siege returns to the Esports World Cup as one of the year's premier global competitions.

Bringing together teams from across all major regions, EWC 2026 features an expanded field and a multi-stage format culminating in a single-elimination playoff.

This year, teams will qualify for EWC based on the results of Stage 1, with the exception of the MENA qualifier and Team Secret receiving an automatic invitation to defend their crown.

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - EWC

dates

stage 1:

August 4 - 9

stage 2 & 3:

August 11 - 14

slot distribution

1 Title Defender - Team Secret
1 MENA Qualifier
4 NAL
4 SAL
4 EML
4 CNL
4 APL

tournament format

stage 1 - play-ins

Phase 1:

8 Teams
2 Groups of 4
Double Elimination Groups
Best of 1 opening matches
Best of 3 all other matches
Top 4 teams advance
Bottom 4 eliminated

Phase 2:

4 Teams
Single Elimination Bracket
Top 2 advance to Groups
Bottom 2 eliminated

stage 2 - groups:

16 Teams
2 Groups of 8
Double Elimination Groups
Best of 1 opening matches
Best of 3 all other matches
Top 8 teams advance
Bottom 8 eliminated

stage 3 - playoffs:

8 Teams
Single Elimination Bracket
Best of 3 matches
Best of 5 Grand Final

prize pool

Total Prize Pool: $2,000,000

1st - $750,000

2nd - $350,000

3rd - $200,000

4th - $120,000

5th-8th - $65,000

9th-12th - $35,000

13th-16th - $25,000

17th-18th - $17,500

19th-20th - $12,500

21st-22nd - $10,000

direct si qualification

The winner of the 2026 Esports World Cup automatically qualifies for the Six Invitational 2027.

si points system

SI Points are the currency of global ranking in the Rainbow Six Siege esports scene. Points are awarded during:

Season Kickoff
Regional Leagues
Majors

The top 14 teams by SI Points at the end of the season, the winner of each Major, the winner of EWC, and the winner of each of the 5 Regional LCQs will qualify for the Six Invitational 2027, the ultimate competition in Rainbow Six Siege.

[R6Se] BLAST R6 Season 2026 - POINT DISTRIBUATION

We can't wait to kick off the 2026 season of R6 esports! The action begins soon, with Kickoff matches starting the week of March 27th. Be sure to follow our regional league channels for updates and detailed match schedules.