The Six Invitational is the most important tournament of the Rainbow Six Siege calendar hence why every professional player wants to be part of it.
To qualify for it, Ubisoft implemented multiple ways including the current Global Standings, direct invites, spot given to Major champions, and even community vote invites. However, nowadays only two exist: the previously mentioned Global Standings and the regional qualifiers.
Since 2017, the regional qualifiers have been used in six editions, with the only exceptions being 2017 and 2024.
Here's how the regional closed qualified teams performed in every Six Invitational edition!
Six Invitational 2018
Ubisoft introduced the closed qualifiers in the Six Invitational 2018 for those teams who didn’t qualify through their regional top flight leagues or who hadn’t been invited.
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2018 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: ROOM FACTORY (13th - 16th) and Supremacy (5th - 8th)
- North America: eRa Eternity (13th - 16th)
- Latin America: YeaH! Gaming (9th - 12th)
- Asia Pacific: Mindfreak (5th - 8th)
The eventual Team Empire core made its international debut in Montreal, Canada, under the name of ROOM FACTORY. Back then, the Russian-majority squad finished at the bottom of the group stage, a result they shared with Team Vitality, Counter Logic Gaming, and another closed qualifier team, eRa Eternity, which included two players who are still active in the scene: Seth “supr” Hoffman and Dylan “Bosco” Bosco.
Two closed qualified teams in Supremacy and YeaH! Gaming clashed in the Group C Elimination Match, which ended up in a French victory after the Brazilians had been one round away from taking the win. Unfortunately for the Europeans, Supremacy’s journey in Montreal was put to an end after a 1-2 defeat against Rogue.
Similarly, Mindfreak, whose roster was eventually picked up by Fnatic, reached the tournament’s quarterfinals after victories over ROOM FACTORY and Team Liquid. The Australians became the first APAC roster to qualify for the playoffs of a Six Invitational. However, they were knocked out by Black Dragons, whose roster was eventually picked up by Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Six Invitational 2019
The Six Invitational 2019 included six teams from the regional qualifiers, including two from Europe, two from South America, one from North America, and one from APAC.
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2019 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: Team Empire (2nd) and LeStream Esport (13th - 16th)
- North America: Spacestation Gaming (5th - 8th)
- Latin America: Team Liquid (5th - 8th) and Ninjas in Pyjamas (13th - 16th)
- Asia Pacific: mantis FPS (13th - 16th)
Three of the six teams from the regional qualifiers survived the group stage, with Team Empire reaching the tournament’s grand finals.
Both Spacestation Gaming and Team Liquid reached the quarterfinals, with the astronauts being the only team to win a map against the eventual champions G2 Esports. The Blue Cavalry was knocked out by the Russians.
Meanwhile, LeStream Esport, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and mantis FPS couldn’t survive to the group stage as they all finished with 0-2 records. While the Brazilians and the South Koreans could win one map against Team Reciprocity and Team Liquid, respectively, the Europeans lost their four maps against Evil Geniuses and PENTA.
Six Invitational 2020
For the Six Invitational 2020, the number of closed qualified teams was reduced to one per region.
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2020 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: Team BDS (4th)
- North America: Spacestation Gaming (1th)
- Latin America: MIBR (7th - 8th)
- Asia Pacific: Fnatic (5th - 6th)
For the first time since the creation of regional qualifiers, all of the teams qualified through this system made it to the playoffs. Moreover, for the first time, the eventual champion was a closed qualified team as Spacestation Gaming ended up lifting the hammed after a 3-2 victory against Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Despite having just won Europe’s Challenger League, Team BDS was one of the best teams at the Six Invitational 2020 as the French roster finished in fourth place. To reach the Lower Bracket semifinal, the French roster defeated two regional closed qualified teams in MIBR and Fnatic. To this date, Fnatic’s performance at the Six Invitational 2020 is still the best result to be ever collected by an Australian team.
Six Invitational 2021
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2021 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: Mkers (9th - 12th)
- North America: Parabellum Esports (9th - 12th)
- South America: FURIA Esports (9th - 12th)
- Asia Pacific: CYCLOPS athlete gaming (17th - 18th)
If the Six Invitational 2020 had the best performing closed qualifier winners, the Six Invitational 2021 was the opposite.
Surprisingly, Europe sent one Challenger League team to the Six Invitational 2021 after the Italian roster of Mkers won the regional closed qualifier. Something similar happened in North America, when Altiora won the regional closed qualifier shortly after winning the NAL 2020 Canada Division Finals. The Canadian roster played the Six Invitational 2021 under Parabellum Esports.
From the South American closed qualifier, FURIA Esports ended among the best twelve sides in the team's international Rainbow Six Siege debut. Last but not least, CYCLOPS athlete gaming finished just outside of the playoffs after finishing at the bottom of the standings in the Six Invitational 2021 Group A.
Six Invitational 2022
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2022 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: MNM Gaming (13th - 16th)
- North America: TSM (1th)
- South America: MIBR (4th)
- Asia Pacific: CYCLOPS athlete gaming (17th - 20th)
Similarly to the Six Invitational 2021, Europe sent a team that had yet to play a top-flight match as MNM Gaming had won the Challenger League weeks before the start of the competition. Although the Europeans survived the group stage, they were knocked out by Oxygen Esports in their first playoff match.
The Japanese side CYCLOPS athlete gaming qualified for the team's second Six Invitational. Unfortunately, just like in 2021, the Asian roster couldn't survive to the group stage after defeats against Team Liquid, Spacestation Gaming, Rogue, and FaZe Clan.
Finally, TSM and MIBR were the two closed qualified teams to perform the best as they finished in first and fourth place, respectively. It was the second time in a row that the Brazilians finished among the best four sides at the Six Invitational. Meanwhile, TSM became the first American side to win the Six Invitational since Spacestation Gaming did so in 2020.
Six Invitational 2023
The teams that qualified for the Six Invitational 2022 through their respective regional qualifiers included the following teams:
- Europe: Team Secret (17th - 20th)
- North America: Spacestation Gaming (9th - 12th)
- South America: LOS oNe (9th - 12th)
- Asia Pacific: Dire Wolves (17th - 20th)
Out of the four closed qualified teams at the Six Invitational 2023, two couldn't survive the group stage as Team Secret and Dire Wolves finished at the bottom of their respective groups.
Meanwhile, both Spacestation Gaming and LOS oNe finished in 9th - 12th place after being knocked down by M80 and Astralis, respectively.
Some facts about teams that have qualified through closed qualifiers:
- Since joining the Rainbow Six Siege esports scene in March 2018, Spacestation Gaming has qualified for every Six Invitational. Out of the team’s seven Six Invitational qualifications, the astronauts have qualified thrice through North America’s regional closed qualifier.
- Two of North America’s three Six Invitational champions (TSM and Spacestation Gaming) won the title after qualifying through the regional qualifier.
- Three out of the seven Six Invitational grand finals played since 2018 have included at least one team from a closed qualifier – Team Empire (2019), Spacestation Gaming (2020), and TSM (2022). The Six Invitational 2024 didn’t have closed qualifiers.
If you want to stay up-to-date with all the news about Rainbow Six Siege and the Six Invitational 2025, don't forget to bookmark the site and follow us through our social media pages.