BLAST R6 Regional Leagues Stage 1 2026: Everything You Need to Know

The Rainbow Six Siege 2026 Esports season is in full swing following DarkZero's triumphant victory at BLAST R6 Salt Lake City, and now attention turns to Stage 1 of the Regional leagues—the first major step on the road to the Esports World Cup in Paris. From schedules and formats to prize pools and EWC qualification spots, here is everything you need to know ahead of the competition.

What's at Stake

Stage 1 of the Regional Leagues is a direct pipeline to EWC 2026 in Paris. Top finishers across all regional Finals will earn their tickets to compete on one of the biggest stages in esports this summer. Additionally, every placement earns SI Points, which feed into long-term seeding for the Six Invitational. Team Secret also enters the EML with a direct EWC invite thanks to their victory last year.

Asia Pacific League Stage 1

The APL Stage 1 runs across three subregions—Oceania, Asia, and North—each following a single round-robin format where every team faces each other once in Bo1 matches. The top 4 teams from each subregion's round robin advance to the Stage 1 Finals, which are played as Bo3s.

EWC Qualification: The two finalists of APL Oceania and the winners of APL Asia and APL North will each qualify for EWC 2026 in Paris.

APL Oceania

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 APL Oceania teams (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 6–17 | 15:00, 18:00 & 21:00 AEST

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 APL Oceania finals bracket (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

APL Asia

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 APL Asia teams (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 7–18 | 17:00 & 20:00 SGT

APL North 

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 APL North teams (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 7–18 | 17:00 & 20:00 SGT

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 APL Asia and North finals bracket (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

APL Prize Pool & SI Points

The prize money and SI Points apply to each APL subregion individually.

North America League Stage 1

The NAL kicks off on June 10 with Salt Lake City champion DarkZero Esports returning to the league as the team to beat. 10 teams will battle through a single round-robin (Bo1), with the top 6 advancing to the Stage 1 Finals (Seeds 5 and 6 enter via the lower bracket). The top 4 teams at the Finals will qualify for EWC in Paris.

NAL Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 9–17 | 11:00, 14:00 & 17:00 ET

South America League Stage 1

Just like the NAL, the SAL features 10 of South America's strongest squads competing across a full round-robin format. The top 6 teams advance to the Stage 1 Finals (Seeds 5 and 6 entering via the lower bracket), and the top 4 finishers at the Finals earn EWC berths in Paris.

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 SAL teams (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

SAL Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 16–19 | 13:00, 16:00, 18:00 & 20:45 BRT

Europe MENA League Stage 1

The EML will also feature 10 teams who will be competing in a single round-robin format, with the top 6 advancing to the Stage 1 Finals. Notably, reigning champion Team Secret enters with a direct EWC invite already secured—meaning the remaining top 4 spots from the Finals will fill out the European EWC contingent.

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 EML teams (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

EML Robin Round Schedule

Stage 1 Finals: July 6–14 | 18:00 & 21:00 ET

BLAST R6 2026 Stage 1 NAL, SAL and EML finals bracket (Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft)

NAL, SAL and EML Prize Pool & SI Points

Where to Watch

Every match across all four Regional Leagues will be broadcast live on the official Rainbow Six Twitch channel at twitch.tv/rainbow6. 

The BLAST R6 Regional Leagues Stage 1 marks the beginning of an intense road to the Esports World Cup in Paris, with teams across five regions battling for prize money, SI points, and their ticket to compete on esports' biggest summer stage.

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Featured Image Source: BLAST/Ubisoft

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