Rainbow Six Siege Esports World Cup 2026: Play-ins bracket revealed

As we slowly approach the start of the Rainbow Six Siege Esports World Cup 2026, we finally know the 22 teams that will be involved in the action that will take place in Paris, France, between August 4 and August 15.

The first stage of the tournament will be the play-ins, also known as Phase 1. This stage of the tournament will include eight teams and only two will be able to reach the second phase.

As revealed in the Rainbow Six Siege Esports World Cup 2026 Rulebook, the seeding for Phase 1 and Phase 2 is determined by the teams' current positions on the Global Standings. Therefore, we now know the bracket's shape for Phase 1, which will include the following clashes:

• Shopify Rebellion (3rd, highest) vs. Al-Ula Club (-, lowest)
• Chiefs ESC (21st, fourth highest) vs. TYLOO (26th, fourth lowest)
• CAG by VARREL (12th, second highest) vs. FNATIC (34th, second lowest)
• LOS (16th, third highest) vs. KINGZERO eSports (32nd, third lowest)

At the time of writing, Phase 2's only confirmed seedings are DarkZero Esports and ENTERPRISE Esports' seedings, as they currently sit in first and second, respectively, on the Global Standings. However, as Shopify Rebellion is in third, then the rest of seedings may vary.

Here's a look at the confirmed matches for the first phase of the Rainbow Six Siege Esports World Cup 2026, including a look at their past performances and storylines:

Shopify Rebellion vs. Al-Ula Club

Al-Ula Club will make its international debut in Rainbow Six Siege against the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City grand finalists, Shopify Rebellion. The Saudi Arabian football club made it to the tournament after winning the Road to EWC 2026 qualifier.

Whilst Al-Ula Club isn't MENA's strongest team, a title that belongs to the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City semifinalists Twisted Minds, the roster includes Hussein "Valantino" Shrara, who competed for Team Falcons at the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen and the Six Invitational 2024. The Lebanese player is, without a doubt, the most experienced professional in the lineup.

Additionally, Al-Ula Club also includes three players that featured for Saudi Arabia in the Esports Nations Cup 2026 MENA Qualifiers and who will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, representing their country on the biggest stage. These players are Mohammed "cCrazy" Johani, Naif "mhagr" Baabdullah, and Khalid "Gwzh" Amiri. It's also worth mentioning that Yousif "Bazoka" Aljber will be the first Iraki player to play at an international Rainbow Six Siege competition.

Although Shopify Rebellion's players are the favorites to take the victory, anything can happen in a BO1 match. In fact, the American roster had some trouble to take down Four Angry Men on Border (7-5) during the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City play-ins.

The winner of the series will face off against either Chiefs ESC or TYLOO.

Chiefs ESC vs. TYLOO

Chiefs ESC make a return to international heights one year and a half after their BLAST R6 Major Montreal appearance. Their first opposition in Paris will be TYLOO, who will be making their international debut in Rainbow Six Siege.

On paper, the Australian roster should secure the victory against the Taiwanese-majority roster. However, TYLOO's growth throughout the season can't be ignored.

In fact, TYLOO is one of the most interesting rosters in the competition. Including Stanley "Yoviker" Zhu, who was once part of America's Tier 3 circuit, will make his international debut with the Chinese powerhouse. The team also includes two former Dire Wolves players, Chen "Songla" Yung-han and Wu "Jackywu" Jhih-ying.

Overall, both teams have some players with interesting backgrounds and previous international experiences, and some others who will be making their international debuts. Given this will be a BO1 series, we expect this clash to be extremely tough for both teams.

CAG by VARREL vs. FNATIC

The match between CAG by VARREL and FNATIC should be the hardest one to predict out of the four. The Japanese roster have been exceptional in their home region; however, the team's performances on the international stage since the BLAST R6 Major Munich have been highly disappointing. In fact, RE:L0:AD is now just a very rare exception, a wild memory, and, at the same time, an example of the team's potential.

FNATIC's first international qualification in six years will start with a match against a former player, as Ryuya "Chibisu" Hamasita had played for the orange brand between February 2022 and March 2023.

Much is on the line for FNATIC, who must beat the Japanese lineup to have a good start to the tournament. Regardless of the result in this first game, this is the toughest group of the play-ins as the winner of the series will likely play against LOS in the next game. Then, the loser would have to play in the Lower Bracket. Winning back-to-back games will be crucial for either of the four teams involved.

LOS vs. KINGZERO eSports

Finally, we have the most unbalanced game of the play-ins. The Brazilians are starting to settle at the top of the standings in South America and their regular international appearances as a proof of it.

Although most people would think no storylines would be found in a match between a Brazilian lineup and a Hong Kongese-majority roster, the truth is that they are wrong. KINGZONE eSports' staff includes Vitor "IntacT" Janz, a former player and coach in Brazil's top flight. Back in his Team oNe days, the now 31-year-old shared the team with Leonardo "Lagonis" Volpi, Gabriel "Maia" Maia, João "Dotz" Miranda, Renato "rhZ" Arenasio, and Leonardo "dash" Lopes.

As if fate wanted it, the clash between LOS and KINGZONE eSports will reunite IntacT and dash, as the former Wildcard player is currently competing for the orange roster.

For more information about Rainbow Six Siege and its esports scene, make sure to check out Siege.GG.