FURIA 1:3 FAZE 
DZ 2:1 GKAY 
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One month after the conclusion of South America's most prestigious Tier 2 competition, Liga START, teams will get a bigger chance to shine at the South America Challenger League 2026.
Although the tournament uses the term Challenger League, which in Rainbow Six Siege historically refers to the Tier 2 promotion circuit to the region's top flight, the idea behind this competition is completely different. Similar to last year's Copa Sudamericana, the South America Challenger League 2026 will offer Tier 2 and Tier 3 rosters the chance to play against Tier 1 teams.
Here's a look at the tournament format, teams involved, and qualifiers, as well as the format and more:
Teams
So far, only the BLAST R6 South America League 2026 teams and six Tier 2 rosters have been confirmed, including:
- FaZe Clan
- FURIA
- Team Liquid Alienware
- LOS
- Fluxo W7M
- LOUD
- Black Dragons
- INTZ
- Imperial Esports
- Former Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Elevate Academy
- FaZe Up Next
- SuperNova
- Red Wolf
- Mystic Esports
- 9z Team
Format
The South America Challenger League 2026 will be divided into five phases, including Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, and Playoffs. Here's a look at each one of them.
Phase 1
Phase 1 will be the online qualifying stage. So far, only 16 teams have been confirmed; but 16 more teams have yet to qualify for the event. These will come from the online qualifiers.
There will be a total of three online qualifiers, set to be played between September 2 and September 17. Here's a link to each one of them, in case you're interested in signing in:
- Qualifier 1: September 2 to September 3
- Qualifier 2: September 9 to September 10
- Qualifier 3: September 16 to September 17
After the conclusion of the third online qualifier, the 16 teams with the most points will qualify for the main event; which will start with the second phase.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of the South America Challenger League 2026 will include the 16 teams that qualified from the online qualifiers. These will face off in a Swiss Stage; the best eight will move to Phase 3.
Phase 3
Phase 3 of the South America Challenger League 2026 will include the two former Challenger Series 2026 teams, INTZ and Imperial Esports, the six teams that qualified from Liga START 2026, Elevate Academy, FaZe Up Next, SuperNova, Red Wolf, Mystic Esports, and 9z Team, as well as the eight teams that qualified from Phase 2.
Phase 3 will follow a Swiss Stage format. The best eight teams from Phase 3 will move to Phase 4.
Phase 4
Phase 4 is when things get serious; the eight teams from Phase 3 will join the eight remaining teams from the BLAST R6 South America League 2026, including FaZe Clan, FURIA, Team Liquid Alienware, LOS, Fluxo W7M, LOUD, Black Dragons, and the former Ninjas in Pyjamas core.
The best eight teams from Phase 4 will move to the Playoffs; the final phase of the tournament.
Playoffs
The South America Challenger League 2026 will conclude with the Playoffs. The playoffs will consist of a single-elimination bracket with BO3 matches.
Prize Pool
The prize pool of the South America Challenger League 2026 will be R$270,000. Using the current exchange rate, that's the equivalent of USD$51,000.
On paper, the possibility of seeing Tier 1 teams facing off against Tier 2 rosters is granted. However, it will be hard to see emerging Tier 3 talent playing against the region's powerhouses. Nevertheless, it will be a golden opportunity for both fans and professional teams to discover new players.
For more information about Rainbow Six Siege and its esports scene, make sure to check out Siege.GG.