Six Invitational 2021: Format, Teams and Schedule cover image

Six Invitational 2021: Format, Teams and Schedule

Virtus.Pro had to pull out of the Six Invitational 2021 after two of its players tested positive for COVID-19.

Ubisoft announced more details about The Six Invitational 2021. This tournament brings together the best Rainbow Six Siege teams from across the world. As fans wait to see the best compete against each other, here’s a quick rundown of everything we know of this tournament.

Ubisoft postponed the Six Invitational 2021 due to travel advisories preventing free movement across borders. The tournament will now kick off on May 11 and continue till the 23rd of the month. The Six Invitational 2021 has a $3 million prize pool but will have no audience on-site and follow strict safety protocols.

What is the Six Invitational 2021 format?

The Six Invitational 2021 Brackets. Screengrab via Liquipedia.net.

Twenty teams are competing in the $3 million tournament. The Six Invitational 2021 has two groups of ten teams each. Each group uses a round-robin tournament format. All teams play each other at least once in this format. All group stage matches are best-of-one series, so there is very little room for error.

The top eight teams advance to the playoffs that take place from May 19-23, 2021. The playoffs use a double-elimination format. However, unlike the group stage, the playoffs use a best-of-three format (except the grand final). The grand final is a best-of-five series. The team coming from the upper bracket will have a 1-map advantage in the grand finals.

Which teams are taking part in the Six Invitational 2021?

<em>Virtus.Pro cannot attend the Six Invitational 2021 as two of its players tested positive. Image Credit: </em><a href="https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/esports/rainbow-six/siege/news-updates/54TDdOpy7MNnBYr0jEV0qW/your-event-guide-to-the-six-invitational-2021-may-edition" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow"><em>Ubisoft</em></a><em>.</em>
Virtus.Pro cannot attend the Six Invitational 2021 as two of its players tested positive. Image Credit: Ubisoft.

There are a total of 20 teams taking part in the Six Invitational 2021. Sixteen slots go to the top ranked teams in the Global standings. The final four slots feature the top teams from each of the Asia Pacific, European, North American and Latin American qualifiers. 

Group A Teams:

  • BDS Esport
  • Cloud9
  • CYCLOPS athlete gaming
  • DarkZero Esports
  • FaZe Clan
  • FURIA esports
  • G2 esports
  • Team Empire
  • Team Liquid
  • oNe eSports

Group B Teams:

  • Giants Gaming
  • MIBR
  • Mkers
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • Oxygen Esports
  • Parabellum Esports
  • Spacestation Gaming
  • TSM

Alan "Rask" Ali and Andrey "Andreezy" Bavian tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore Virtus.Pro cannot attend the event. Wild Card Gaming will also be unable to attend due to the Australian travel restrictions amidst the ongoing pandemic.

Ubisoft's Safety Protocols for the tournament

Ubisoft has underatken a number of steps to ensure the safety of players and staff on site. These steps include strict social distancing, regular tests and much more.

Before the event:

  • A minimum of 7 days of self-isolation highly recommended for all players before departure.
  • Brazilian teams require a negative PCR test to fly to France – maximum 36 hours before departure.
  • For all, to the exception of Brazilian teams (see above): a negative PCR test to provide in order to be allowed by authorities to fly to France – maximum 72 hours before departure.
  • Players coming from the European Union, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom and Singapore must not travel to the USA, Canada and Brazil during the 14 days prior to their fligh

Players Guidelines during the event

  • A maximum of 6 people per team authorized to come to the offline event.
  • For Brazilian players: antigenic test completed upon arrival at the French airport.
  • Upon arrival and depending on the territory of origin, self-isolation at the hotel for all players for a duration based on the latest local authorities' guidelines.
  • All players will have individual hotel rooms.
  • Strict separation between teams. Players from one team will not mix with other teams during the event.
  • Regular PCR and antigenic testing for all players during the event.
  • PCR test before the departure flight.
  • Strict departure rule: in order to limit as much as possible the number of people in the venue, all eliminated teams will exit the event upon their elimination and will leave France within the following 48 hours.
  • Masks: players will wear masks at all times, except when playing on stage and during interviews.

The Six Invitational 2021 kicks off on May 10 and will feature the best teams in action. All matches will be streamed live on Twitch.

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