The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) formally announced Saturday that Rainbow Six Siege will be a competitive title at the inaugural nation vs. nation competition, the Esports Nations Cup (ENC).
Rainbow Six Siege joins other previously announced titles including EA Sports FC 26, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Chess, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Trackmania, and Honor Kings. A total of 16 titles will be played at the nation vs. nation competition.
Ubisoft’s tactical team shooter being added as an official title isn’t particularly surprising as the publisher signed a deal with the Esports World Cup Foundation in 2025 related to the nation vs. nation competition.
Twenty-Four national Rainbow Six Siege teams will compete across a group stage and playoffs, until one team is crowned overall champion. The Rainbow Six Siege tournament at ENC will begin on Nov. 18, culminating in a playoff final on Nov. 22. The first stage will have 24 teams competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring four groups of six teams. The second stage will feature 16 teams competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. All group stage matches will be best-of-one., while all playoff matches (excluding the grand final) will be best-of-three. Finally, the grand final will be a best-of-five.
Twenty-four (24) national teams will compete; 12 teams will be directly invited based on the Siege National Team Ranking, 10 teams will qualify through regional online qualifiers, and two teams will come from Wildcard slots.
More on how direct invites will be determined:
“The Esports Nations Cup will determine its direct invites via the Siege National Team Ranking that takes into account official Six Invitational points standings and EWC 2025 results, with points awarded through official Rainbow Six competition, including Regional Leagues, Majors, and the Six Invitational. The national ranking will then accumulate the points of the top five players on the submitted national roster. The cut-off date for the national ranking is May 17.”
Rainbow Six Siege ENC qualifiers will take place May 29-31. Qualifiers will be double-elimination brackets, hosted in each of the following regions:
- North America (2 slots)
- South America (2 slots)
- Europe (2 slots)
- Middle East + North Africa (2 slots)
- Asia (2 slots)
The Esports Nations Cup is set to take place Nov. 2 – 29, in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. The competition is being produced by the EWCF, which is funded through a so-called “sports grant” by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Projects backed by the Saudi government are often accused of being used for “sports washing,” or as a cover for the government to gloss over 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.