This week Rainbow Six Siege X publisher Ubisoft revealed its 2026 esports roadmap for its popular tactical team-based shooter. Of note, Esports World Cup 2026 will play an integral role in the ecosystem in 2026, as Ubisoft leans into its burgeoning relationship with the Saudi government-backed entity.
For 2026, Ubisoft promises “structural updates across every tier of competition, focused on improving competitive clarity and expanding opportunities for teams at all levels.”
According to Ubisoft, 2026 will offer players a global calendar with a “consistent flow of competition,” a unified format for Challenger Series (which will run from February-March) a Season Kickoff in April and awards early SI Points, Two regular Majors (May and November), and the Esports World Cup 2026 (running sometime in August) as a Mid-Season competition, Regional Stages in June-July and then September-October across all regions, and SI points earned from placing in various events throughout the calendar that can be used to make it to the Six Invitation. A big change in 2026 is that the winner of the EWC 2026 R6 Championship gets a direct invite to SI.
Ubisoft explained in its announcement why it is putting so much emphasis on EWC 2026 this year (though fans who have been paying attention know that it signed what we assume was a lucrative deal last year to play a major role in EWCF’s other competition the Esports Nations Cup—you can read more about that here on The Esports Advocate):
“Over the past two years, the Esports World Cup has grown into a major fixture in the global esports industry and on the Rainbow Six Esports calendar, with our top-tier teams consistently competing on its stage. Beginning in 2026, we are formally integrating EWC into the R6 esports circuit as a Mid-Season competition. As part of this change, while the event won’t award SI points across all placements, the winning team will not only secure their share of the prize pool but will also be the first team of the season to earn direct qualification to the Six Invitational, raising the event stakes even higher.”
You can read more details on Ubisoft’s plans for R6 esports in 2026 in this official blog post, though we suspect more details are forthcoming.
The EWCF and the EWC are all directly funded by a sports grant provided by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund.
EWC competitions are operated and produced by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Savvy Games Group. Savvy is owned by the Saudi government, and its Chairman of the Board is the country’s de facto ruler, HRH Crown Prince MBS. EFG is home to tournament organizer ESL, competition platform FACEIT, and esports and gaming festival company DreamHack.
Projects backed or owned by the Saudi Arabian government, such as the EWC are frequently criticized for helping the government engage in so-called “sports washing,” or using various forms of entertainment to cover up its record on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, its mistreatment (and executions of) journalists, military actions in Yemen, and more. These and other criticisms have been highlighted by international watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.