Rainbow Six breaks down Regional League esports ecosystem for 2025

BLAST has unveiled its full roadmap for the Rainbow Six2025 season, with revamped formats and new regional line-ups, all leading up to this year’s Six Invitational — previously won by FaZe Clan.

As the season kicks off with the RE:LO:AD tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we break down everything you need to know about each individual stage for the BLAST R6 2025 season.

According to Ubisoft’s blog post online, there will be four regional leagues this season. All regions, save for APL, will have a Round Robin Stage and a Stage Final — though schedules and teams will vary.

The format will see 10 teams compete in a single round robin in best-of-one matches. The top six teams then qualify for the Stage Finals, where they’ll compete in a double-elimination bracket. The top four finishers will then qualify for the Major in November this year.

From Stage 1 to the Majors, BLAST R6 teams will be able to earn Six Invitational Points, the currency of the global ranking system in the R6 esports scene. In each region, teams can earn a maximum of 300 points in the first stage, 700 max points in the Finals, and 1200 points in the Major.

The site states: “The top teams at the end of the season will qualify directly for the Six Invitational 2026, the ultimate competition in Rainbow Six Siege. The winner of the Major will also qualify directly for SI.”

SAL Group Stages run from June 14th – July 13th, 2025, and matches will start at 13:00 BRT/16:00 UTC. Stage Finals run from July 19th – 27th, 2025, and will also begin at 13:00 BRT/16:00 UTC. Stage 2 will then begin on September 6th.

These are all the participating teams, including both partnered and affiliates:

BLAST R6 Group Stages run on June 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th, 27th, and will resume on July 10th, 11th and 12th. Each match in the Group Stage will begin at 16:00 EST.

Stage Finals then run from July 16th – 18th at 14:00 EST, and then July 19th at 18:00 EST.

These are all the NAL participating teams

EML’s Group Stage runs on June 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th, then July 1st, 7th, 8th and 9th. All matches will start at 18:00 CET/16:00 UTC.

The EML Stage Finals will then take place on July 14th and 22nd at 18:00 CET, then July 15th and 21st at 15:00 CET.

These are all partnered and affiliate EML teams competing. There are currently two slots open for affiliates, where the Challenger Series’ top teams will qualify for a place.

APL has a slightly different format from other regions. In each subregion, there will be three separate tournaments running alongside one another: Asia, Oceania, and APAC North.

It begins with a Regular Stage, with eight teams per subregion competing in a single round robin, best-of-one matches. The top six teams will then proceed to the Stage Playoffs, a double-elimination bracket with matches being best-of-three.

Upon entering the APL Major Qualifer, there will be eight teams total (two from Oceania, two from Asia, four from APAC North). It will be a double elimination format with best-of-one and best-of-three matches, played on LAN. Top four qualify for the Major.

Alongside the Qualifiers will be the Regional Finals. Six teams, which are the top two teams from each subregion across both stages, compete in double double-elimination format. The winner will qualify directly to the Six Invitational.

Asia’s Group Stage will take place from June 13th – 27th, 2025, with matches beginning at 19:00 SGT/11:00 UTC. Stage Finals will then run from July 12th-26th, 2025, with matches beginning at 14:00 SGT/06:00 UTC.

Oceania Group Stage runs from June 11th – July 1st, with matches beginning at 19:00 AEDT/09:00 UTC. Stage Finals will then take place from July 11th-25th, with matches beginning at 14:00 AEDT/04:00 UTC each day.

Finally, APAC North Group Stage will begin June 15th – July 6th, 2025, and matches will begin at 19:00 JST/KST/10:00 UTC. Stage Finals will then follow shortly after from July 13th-27th, with matches commencing at 14:00 JST/KST/05:00 UTC.

Stage 2 will begin on September 3rd, 2025.

These are all the participating teams for Asia, Oceania, and APAC North.