TL 2:1 GKAY 
EDG 1:2 FW7M 
FAZE 0:2 FLCN 
EP 0:2 100T 
G2 1:0 DZ 
A team can win a major tournament and still face a tough qualifying route at the next one. That's competitive Rainbow Six Siege, where previous success earns respect, but the next match decides whether you're going any further.
Rainbow Six Siege has plenty of talented players, but getting a team into professional competition takes more than winning matches with your mates. There are qualifiers to survive, regional leagues to compete in and some seriously tough opponents waiting at international tournaments. So, how does a team actually make it from the amateur scene to the Six Invitational, where the best teams in the world compete?
The Challenger Series Opens the Door
Every professional team needs somewhere to start, and Rainbow Six Siege gives ambitious players a route into organised competition through its Challenger Series. You don't need to belong to a famous esports organisation to enter the first qualifying rounds, but you do need a team capable of winning consistently.
The 2026 Challenger Series began with open qualifiers held between February 21 and March 1 across several regions. Matches started as best-of-one contests in single-elimination brackets, leaving little room for a bad performance. One defeat could end a team's run before it had properly begun.
The competition then narrowed to 16 teams in a Swiss-system stage, where teams faced opponents with similar records. Eight advanced to the March 12–15 finals, competing in single-elimination matches for places in their regional leagues.
That is the first major achievement for an emerging team: earning the chance to compete against established professionals.
Regional Results Decide Who Moves Up
Reaching a regional league puts a team into a tougher competition, where every result affects its chances of reaching an international Major.
North America's 2026 league provides a good example. Ten teams compete in the group stage, with six progressing to the stage finals. From there, the leading teams earn places at international tournaments, where regional performance also determines their starting positions.
The 2026 BLAST R6 season includes two Majors, each featuring 20 teams from different regions.
Getting one of those places is a significant achievement, although finishing higher in your regional competition can make the next challenge considerably easier.
A Major Place Is Only the Beginning
DarkZero provides a good example of how difficult international competition can become, even when a team has already proved itself against the world's best.
The American organisation won the Salt Lake City Major in May 2026, defeating Shopify Rebellion 3–1 in the grand final. That victory earned DarkZero $200,000 and 1,500 Six Invitational qualification points, putting the team among the season's leading competitors.
Yet DarkZero entered November's Osaka Major through the Play-In rather than advancing directly to the Swiss Stage. Its fourth-place finish in North America's regional competition meant it had another qualifying hurdle to clear.
DarkZero opened Osaka with a 7–3 victory against TYLOO, then defeated LOS 2–0, winning both maps 7–3. Those results secured its place in the Swiss Stage.
Osaka's tournament structure explains why that progression is important. Eight teams begin in the Play-In, but only four advance to join the 12 teams already qualified for the Swiss Stage.
From those 16 teams, eight reach the playoffs, where the championship is decided through elimination matches.
A team can arrive at a Major with an impressive record and still face several difficult matches before reaching the final weekend.
Rankings Extend Beyond the Tournament Bracket
Competitive Rainbow Six Siege has its own rankings, with teams earning places through qualifiers, regional leagues and international tournaments. Sports betting has a separate set of comparisons. Covers brings together leading US betting providers in this ranking, evaluating their promotions, payment options, betting features and overall user experience.
Tournament standings tell you which teams have performed well, but betting comparisons deal with a different question. A provider's available markets and payment conditions have little to do with whether DarkZero can beat another professional team.
Keeping those distinctions clear makes both types of ranking easier to understand.
The Road Continues Beyond the Major
Missing out on a Major doesn't mean a team has run out of competitive opportunities. Regional tournaments continue to offer routes into higher-level competition, particularly for organisations still trying to establish themselves.
The Malta Cyber Series returns on March 19–21, 2027, with a $15,000 prize pool and six participating teams. Its qualifying structure includes opportunities for Tier 2 competitors, giving emerging organisations another chance to test themselves against stronger opposition.
The tournament also offers a place in the EML Challenger Finals, connecting a smaller event to the wider European competitive system.
That makes these competitions worth following, even when the biggest international teams are playing elsewhere.
Every Result Builds Toward the Six Invitational
The Six Invitational is the ultimate destination, bringing together 20 teams through several qualification routes.
Fourteen qualify through accumulated SI Points, one enters as the Esports World Cup champion, and five earn places through regional last-chance qualifiers.
A team's journey might begin in an open qualifier or an established regional league, but the objective remains the same: earn enough results to compete for the Rainbow Six Siege world championship.