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The BLAST R6 2026 Kickoff will be the first phase of the BLAST R6 2026 season. It will offer fans a first taste of esports action in Rainbow Six Siege's Year 11. Between late March and April, teams all around the globe will compete in their home regions to qualify for the first international event of the calendar, the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City.
Unlike previous stages, Kickoff will consist of a condensed, high-paced format where the smallest mistakes will be heavily punished. It's a sprint where teams must get everything right, from start to finish.
As the format used is completely new, we have written an article to help you decipher it:
How does the BLAST R6 2026 Kickoff format work?
There are two possible answers to this question, and the answer solely depends on the number of teams involved in the league: 8 or 10.
Four top flight leagues consist of ten teams, including the North America League, the South America League, the Europe and MENA League, and the CN League. These four leagues will be split into two groups of five teams each. Then, the four best teams from each group will move to a double-elimination bracket, where the four best teams will qiañofu for Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, three top flight leagues consist of eight teams, including the APAC North League, the Asia League, and the Oceania League. These three competitions won't have a group phase; instead, they will have a playoff bracket. The two best teams from Asia and the best from APAC North and Oceania each will qualify for Salt Lake City.
Was the short explanation good enough for you to understand? Well, if that's not the case, let's talk about specifics: these is how each top flight Kickoff league will work:
North America League
The BLAST R6 North America League 2026 Kickoff will include ten teams. First, teams will be divided into two round robin groups of five rosters each. All matches here will be BO1.
By the conclusion of the group stage, final seedings will determine where teams will be allocated in the playoff bracket. Here's how spots will be determined:
- 1st: Upper Bracket Semifinal
- 2nd and 3rd: Upper Bracket Quarterfinal
- 4th: Lower Bracket Quarterfinal
- 5th: Eliminated
Teams who top their group stage standings will be one win away from qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City. Teams between second and four will need two, but the difference between them is that second and third seeds will have an extra life as the fourth seed begins its playoff journey directly from the Lower Bracket.
It's also worth mentioning there will be decider games for seventh and eight, to determine how much SI Points are awarded to the teams involved.
South America League
The BLAST R6 South America League 2026 Kickoff will include ten teams. First, teams will be divided into two round robin groups of five rosters each. All matches here will be BO1.
By the conclusion of the group stage, final seedings will determine where teams will be allocated in the playoff bracket. Here's how spots will be determined:
- 1st: Upper Bracket Semifinal
- 2nd and 3rd: Upper Bracket Quarterfinal
- 4th: Lower Bracket Quarterfinal
- 5th: Eliminated
Teams who top their group stage standings will be one win away from qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City. Teams between second and four will need two, but the difference between them is that second and third seeds will have an extra life as the fourth seed begins its playoff journey directly from the Lower Bracket.
It's also worth mentioning there will be decider games for seventh and eight, to determine how much SI Points are awarded to the teams involved.
Europe and MENA League
The BLAST R6 Europe and MENA League 2026 Kickoff will include ten teams. First, teams will be divided into two round robin groups of five rosters each. All matches here will be BO1.
By the conclusion of the group stage, final seedings will determine where teams will be allocated in the playoff bracket. Here's how spots will be determined:
- 1st: Upper Bracket Semifinal
- 2nd and 3rd: Upper Bracket Quarterfinal
- 4th: Lower Bracket Quarterfinal
- 5th: Eliminated
Teams who top their group stage standings will be one win away from qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City. Teams between second and four will need two, but the difference between them is that second and third seeds will have an extra life as the fourth seed begins its playoff journey directly from the Lower Bracket.
It's also worth mentioning there will be decider games for seventh and eight, to determine how much SI Points are awarded to the teams involved.
CN League
The CN League 2026 Kickoff will include ten teams. First, teams will be divided into two round robin groups of five rosters each. All matches here will be BO1.
By the conclusion of the group stage, final seedings will determine where teams will be allocated in the playoff bracket. Here's how spots will be determined:
- 1st: Upper Bracket Semifinal
- 2nd and 3rd: Upper Bracket Quarterfinal
- 4th: Lower Bracket Quarterfinal
- 5th: Eliminated
Teams who top their group stage standings will be one win away from qualifying for the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City. Teams between second and four will need two, but the difference between them is that second and third seeds will have an extra life as the fourth seed begins its playoff journey directly from the Lower Bracket.
It's also worth mentioning there will be decider games for seventh and eight, to determine how much SI Points are awarded to the teams involved.
APAC Leagues
The BLAST R6 APAC North League 2026 Kickoff, the BLAST R6 Asia League 2026 Kickoff, and the BLAST R6 Oceania League 2026 Kickoff will run differently. Consisting of eight teams, the rosters will be spread in a double-elimination bracket. We still don't know if all matches will be BO3.
Weibo Gaming's performance in Year 10 allowed the BLAST R6 Asia League 2026 to have an extra BLAST R6 Major spot, meaning two teams from Asia's top flight will qualify for Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, one team from APAC North and Oceania each will follow their footsteps.
SI Points
Whilst we spoke about the format used in each top flight division, it's worth reminding readers that Kickoff will also award teams with SI Points. Here's how SI Points will be distributed among participants:
- 1st: 240 SI Points
- 2nd: 175 SI Points
- 3rd: 140 SI Points
- 4th: 115 SI Points
- 5th: 100 SI Points
- 6th: 80 SI Points
- 7th: 60 SI Points
- 8th: 40 SI Points
- 9th: 20 SI Points
- 10th: -
Given Kickoff's limited format, the ammount of SI Points given to teams is significantly less than the ammount that will be distributed across Stage 1 and Stage 2.
For more information about Rainbow Six Siege and its esports scene, make sure to check out Siege.GG.