As teams around the world compete to make it to the next Six Invitational, which kicks off in February 2026, the North American League is proving to be a closely fought contest. Stage 2 is entering the tense play-off stages, and there are a few teams, including Spacestation Gaming, M80 and Oxygen Sports, who seem to be steadily progressing to the regional finals.
Before we get there though, we still have the BLAST R6 Major in Munich between November 8th and 16th, where teams can also scoop up SI points to help them qualify for the Six Invitational in February, as well as $750,000 in prize money! Prior to that, the six teams in the playoffs will be aiming to make it through to the regional finals. Below, we take a look at the teams that seem to have the best chance of success.
Which teams could progress to the finals?
Stage 2 of the North American League is moving into the playoffs, which involve a packed burst of competition held between the October 8th and 11th. This is where things really heat up as the six qualifying teams compete to make it to the regional finals. There’s also Munich to think about, with the four best teams from this stage progressing onto the global competition. As we get another glimpse at the very best teams in the region, which competitors could make it to the regional finals starting November 29th?
Spacestation Gaming
The winners of the first group stage of the North American League, Spacestation Gaming, stand a good chance of making it to the finals. They are currently tied for fourth place in the international standings, which go towards determining the qualifiers for the Six Invitational and are also fourth on the group stage 2 leaderboard.
Despite claiming the title in the first group stage, Spacestation has lost a little momentum. They were defeated in their most recent match on the September 27th by M80, who completely dominated the contest winning 7-0. It was their worst defeat of the contest and marked an inconsistent, underwhelming stage, especially when compared to their earlier performance.
As they missed out on the top two spots in the group stage, Spacestation will have to make it through their quarter-finals match against Wildcard Gaming to advance to the playoffs. It will be a difficult game for the team, particularly given that Wildcard recently bested them on September 5th 7-2 and 2-0 on July 16th. However, there are many who think they are more than capable of rising to the occasion.
If they can capture the same energy which enabled them to win 10 of their 14 games in stage 1, they could still be a real contender for the finals. You can never count Spacestation out. Keep in mind that they had to progress through the longer lower bracket to win the earlier stage!
Which player has helped Spacestation to fly?
Spacestation’s MVP throughout the competition has been Jack Burkard (J90), who plays as support. He earned the joint most MVP wins in the first group stages with an impressive total of six and was a crucial element in their victory over DarkZero, which net them the overall stage win. It’s little surprise that he’s been one of the team’s most important players, as he also won the title of Most MVP Awards in the BLAST R6 Major in Atlanta in 2023.
M80
After topping the group leg of stage 2, M80 is the team to watch as we head into the playoffs. They secured an automatic semi-final spot, so they will compete against either Wildcard or Spacestation for a place in the final. The winner of the final then qualifies for the grand final. Coming off the back of their crushing 7-0 victory over Spacestation, they’ll be entering the playoff stages on a real high, and that momentum could certainly make them one to watch.
Sweeping Spacestation was no fluke for a team that could be a true threat during the finals. In their previous match, they convincingly defeated Envy 7-0. They’ll be the toughest competition that any team meets given that they won all nine of their games in the second regional stage, with only their games against Wildcard and Shopify Rebellion being close ones.
Who has helped M80 dominate?
The entire M80 team deserves to be recognized for helping to put on one of the most crushing performances and greatest runs we’ve seen in the league. However, a special shoutout should go to Ayden Gabari (dfuzr) who plays flex. He joined the team in January this year and has quickly become one of the most valuable players. He even bagged Rookie of the Year at the Six Invitational Tournament in February 2025.
Oxygen Sports
Oxygen finished second in the latest round of stage 2, earning an automatic semi-final spot alongside M80. They were almost equally dominating, suffering only one defeat at the hands of M80 throughout the group stage and finishing just one point behind their rivals. While M80 had two close wins, Oxygen had none as all their wins were at least relatively convincing.
They’ve been consistently good throughout the competition, finishing an impressive fourth in the first stage and scooping up a prize of $11,850 for their troubles. They never swept any of their matches, winning by 7-3 or 7-4, but that doesn’t mean they can be written off. In fact, they were the winners of the North American Regional Finals last time around, beating Wildcard 2-0! Oxygen has also proved they can perform on the international stage, as they finished third in the Six Invitational in 2023.
Who is an MVP for Oxygen?
All of Oxygen’s team has been putting in incredible performances, but Roman Breaux (Forrest) has undeniably been one of the MVPs. After making the move from Spacestation to Oxygen in March of this year, he has quickly become one of their most important players in his roles of support and in-game leader. He’s also one of the most awarded players in the league, having won the most MVPs in the NAL 2022 season and the Six Charlotte Major across both the semi-finals and quarterfinals.
What is the Six Invitational?
As the regional matches continue, the teams will be keeping a close eye on the international leaderboard for qualification to the Six Invitational. The 20 best teams from around the world qualify for the event by gaining SI points while competing in the four geographical leagues: Asia Pacific, Europe Mena, South America and North America. As the equivalent to a World Cup, it’s the biggest Rainbow Six Siege tournament and offers a whopping prize pool of $3,000,000!
Which of the NAL teams could make it through?
At the moment, Spacestation sits tied for fourth place in the international standings, which is good enough to comfortably qualify for the Invitational. However, with the playoffs and Munich contest still to go, that could easily change. As we mentioned earlier, there are plenty of points up for grabs in both the Major in Munich and the playoff stage of the regional matches. Whoever wins the regional finals is guaranteed a place in the Invitational, so teams like Oxygen and M80 are in prime position.
Whoever you’re rooting for, you can heighten your experience by betting on both the regional and international stages of the contest. Bettors use leading comparison site BitEdge.com to find the best odds on matches and make the most of generous bonuses. Their expert team has over 50 years of experience and there are even esports specialists like Will Wood selecting the best options.
How do NAL teams do on the international stage?
Things haven’t been so rosy for NAL teams in the Six Invitational in recent years. Last season’s competition was held in the United States for the first time, giving many fans hope they would have a home team advantage, but no NAL teams made it to the final. South American team FaZe Clan was ultimately victorious. Unwanted was the best representative for the region, placing fourth, but the team was disbanded in February of this year.
Given the utter dominance of M80 in the group stages this year, they could be strong challengers in the international matches should they make it through. Spacestation might also stand a chance after they placed fourth in the Esports World Cup earlier this year, proving they have what it takes in the global arena. Should either win, they’ll be the first NAL team to do so since 2022. However, they’ll face tough competition in the South American teams who remain the dominant force in the sport.
Which NAL teams could do well in the finals?
As we prepare for the start of the knockout rounds of stage 2 of the regional contest, it’s looking to be a close one. Both M80 and Oxygen put in impressive performances throughout the group stage and will be strong contenders come the finals. Spacestation, the stage 1 winner, can capture the form they displayed earlier in the year, they could also put up a strong fight. You shouldn’t count out any of the other teams either, as the lower bracket always makes things more interesting! Regardless of who wins, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the international standings as well.