First Rainbow Six Major of 2022 kicks off in Charlotte

The first Major of the 2022 Rainbow Six Siege season has arrived. Fifteen teams will face off in Charlotte, North Carolina for a share of the $500,000 prize pool in what promises to be one of the most intriguing international R6 events to date.

Six debutants. Just one finalist from the past two Majors. No defending Six Invitational champion. The field for the Six Major Charlotte really has to be seen to be believed. With a live audience present at a major Rainbow Six event for the first time since 2020, Six Major Charlotte is set to be a return to normalcy for the international Rainbow Six events. However, the Major is also set to one of the more unusual events, with a blend of absent marquee teams and ambitious debutants.

NIP, FaZE & TSM absent

Brazilian powerhouses Ninjas in Pyjamas and FaZe Clan will not be in attendance after failing to qualify for the Copa Elite Six regional league, making Charlotte the first-ever event not to feature at least one of them.

Meanwhile, defending Six Invitational champions TSM had a torrid stage in North America, finishing ninth in the NAL. Perennial North American representatives Spacestation Gaming also miss out after finishing fifth. Elsewhere, Team Empire failed to qualify out of Europe and DAMWON struggled in APAC play, ending their run of Major appearances.

Heroic, Astralis & others seeking debut success

Heroic are one of the Major debutants looking to make a splash in their first international event. After finishing last in Europe in 2021 and following up with an overhaul of its roster, the org heads to Charlotte as European champions.

Coming off a similar turnaround is XSET, who were relegated from the NAL at the end of 2021, but battled their way to clinching a spot in Charlotte after being invited back to the league. Also coming out of North America is Astralis, who enter Charlotte as NA Champions after only joining the league in late 2021.

Brazil’s w7m Esports and Taiwan’s Dire Wolves round out the pool of debut teams after taking spots in their respective leagues.

One team makes not only their Major debut but also their Rainbow Six debut, in Charlotte. Wolves Esports, the esports wing of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, acquired the roster comprised mostly of former Team Vitality players that qualified third out of Europe.

While Heroic and Team Liquid enter as the betting favourites, this may prove to be an especially unpredictable tournament.

 

Header: Ubisoft