Rainbow Six Siege Joins the Lineup for the 2026 Esports Nations Cup

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has officially revealed that Rainbow Six Siege will be part of the lineup for the first-ever Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a thrilling nation vs. nation competition.

Joining the ranks of other confirmed titles like EA Sports FC 26, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Chess, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Trackmania, and Honor Kings, Rainbow Six Siege adds to a total of 16 competitive games featured in this event.

The inclusion of Ubisoft’s tactical shooter isn’t a shocker, especially since the publisher inked a deal with the EWCF back in 2025 for this very competition.

A total of 24 national teams will battle it out in Rainbow Six Siege, progressing through a group stage and playoffs until one team emerges as the champion. The tournament kicks off on November 18, with the playoffs wrapping up on November 22. The initial stage will see 24 teams split into four groups of six, competing in a round-robin format. The top 16 teams will then advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket. Group stage matches will be best-of-one, while playoff matches (excluding the grand final) will be best-of-three, culminating in a grand final showdown that will be a best-of-five.

Of the 24 national teams, 12 will receive direct invitations based on the Siege National Team Ranking, 10 will qualify through regional online qualifiers, and 2 will come from Wildcard slots.

Details on how direct invites will be determined include:

“The Esports Nations Cup will establish its direct invites using the Siege National Team Ranking, which factors in official Six Invitational points standings and EWC 2025 results. Points are awarded through sanctioned Rainbow Six competitions, including Regional Leagues, Majors, and the Six Invitational. The national ranking will compile the points of the top five players on the submitted national roster, with a cut-off date of May 17.”

The Rainbow Six Siege ENC qualifiers are scheduled for May 29-31, utilizing double-elimination brackets across various regions.

The Esports Nations Cup is set to unfold from November 2 to 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This competition is being organized by the EWCF, which is supported by a “sports grant” from the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Projects funded by the Saudi government often face scrutiny, with accusations of being used for “sports washing” to distract from the country’s human rights record, including issues related to women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, the treatment of journalists, and military actions in Yemen. These concerns have been raised by international watchdog organizations.