Today at Ubisoft’s digital press conference, Ubisoft Forward, the company announced the first ever Rainbow Six World Cup, an exciting new way to enjoy esports with Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege. The Rainbow Six World Cup will take place in the Winter of 2021. For the first time in Rainbow Six Esports history, players from 45 countries and regions will compete at the highest level to become the team that will make history by bringing home the very first Rainbow Six World Cup trophy. The World Cup is also a unique and unprecedented opportunity for fans to share their love, pride and unconditional support with the team that will represent them on the worldwide stage.

“We noticed during our events that both professional players and fans showcased their national pride and enthusiasm,” said François-Xavier Dénièle, Esports Director at Ubisoft. “As we saw all the different flags in the audience and international rivalries emerge, we began nurturing the idea of creating such a competition. The idea evolved into the World Cup we are announcing today. We believe that the World Cup will be a great opportunity to celebrate the Rainbow Six Siege community, both local and worldwide, while also providing new stakes and challenges for professional players.”

For such a special occasion, Ubisoft has entrusted international athlete Tony Parker to take on the role of ambassador for the Rainbow Six World Cup and share his 20-year experience with the players involved in the competition. With 4 NBA titles, a EuroBasket title, more than 180 selections in national team and a true passion for esports and gaming, Tony Parker will have great insights to share with players who will face, for the first time, the special pressure and stakes that come with competing in world cups.

“In the Rainbow Six World Cup players will compete alongside new teammates and new coaches from their home countries; players that might be their rivals otherwise,” said Tony Parker, 4-times NBA Champion and EuroBasket Champion. “They will experience something new, and I am excited to share my experience and accompany them in that adventure as part of my role as an ambassador. I have been involved in esports for the past six to seven years now, and when Ubisoft first came to me with this project, I was convinced they wanted to create something special. It will be a first for the game and I wanted to be part of it.”

From September 2020 to Winter 2021: the road to the Rainbow Six World Cup

From amateur competitive scenes which started only 5 years ago, Rainbow Six Siege has developed into Ubisoft’s top-tier esports title, with more than 60 million players worldwide, and 40 professional teams competing in four strong regional leagues across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. The Rainbow Six World Cup is the latest addition to the Rainbow Six Esports ecosystem, as an independent layer of competition and the first ever country-based tournament for the game.

The Rainbow Six World Cup will involve a total of 45 countries and regions throughout two stages. The Qualifier Stage will happen during the first half of 2021, while the Final Stage will take place during the Winter of 2021. 14 countries and regions will get a direct invite to the Final Stage and, additionally, 31 other countries will take part in online qualifiers to compete for one of the six remaining available slots. Ultimately, 20 teams will compete in the Final Stage of the World Cup.

To determine the composition of each national team, local Rainbow Six Siege communities and professional scenes will participate in a two-step process:

• Starting September 14, each of the 45 participating countries and regions will start selecting their National Committees, composed of 3 team managers.
• Later this fall, each National Committee will select the 5 players who will compete in the team.

The National Committees will ultimately head the team they carefully composed as they take on the challenge to become World Cup champions.

Additional details on the competition and the national committee selection process are available here: https://R6Esports/WorldCup

To learn more about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Esports, please visit https://www.rainbow6.com/esports