Six Invitational 2026: North America Last Chance Qualifier Preview

With the Six Invitational set to get underway in February and the North America League regional Grand Finals having closed, there is just one more chance for teams to qualify for the event. Enter the Six Invitational North America Last Chance Qualifier.

From North America, four sides have already qualified for the Six Invitational 2026 in Paris on points: M80, Spacestation Gaming, Shopify Rebellion, and Wildcard will all be on the way to Paris. As for the Last Chance Qualifiers for North America, seven sides have secured a spot at the event in January, with two still to come.

North America Last Chance Qualifier Date and Format

The event kicks off between January 9th and January 11th, with a double-elimination format for the bracket. For now, not much else is known, though it’s expected the entire tournament will be best-of-three, at least for the main event in R6 esports. For North America, Qualifier 1 is already completed, with the second one set to start on December 21st.

The Qualified Teams

The Six Invitational 2026 North America Last Chance Qualifiers will have nine teams in the final event. You can see the list of sides below:

• Global Standings: DarkZero
• Global Standings: Oxygen Esports
• Global Standings: Cloud9
• Grand Finals Europe 2025-2026 Tier 2 Winner (ELEMENT FIVE): Qor Gaming
• Grand Finals Europe 2025-2026 Tier 2 Winner (ELEMENT SIX): SOS
• Six Invitational 2026 Europe and MENA Open Qualifier 1 Grand Finalist: Awooooooo
• Six Invitational 2026 Europe and MENA Open Qualifier 1 Grand Finalist: ENVY
• Six Invitational 2026 Europe and MENA Open Qualifier 2 Grand Finalist: TBD
• Six Invitational 2026 Europe and MENA Open Qualifier 2 Grand Finalist: TBD

The two Open Qualifier events will take place before the main event, with Qualifier 1 having occurred on December 13th-14th and the second on December 20th-21st. Each event will feature 32 sides, and is open to anyone from the region to register.

A Closer Look at the Teams

DarkZero

DarkZero were around 200 points away from securing their spot at the Six Invitational on points, with the roster unable to get past Shopify Rebellion in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals. Just before the Stage 2 Regional Finals, DarkZero made a roster swap to add Rival, with the hope that he would have a significant impact on their chances of qualifying for the event in Paris in 2026.

2025 was a mixed bag for DarkZero, securing a 9th-12th finish at the Six Invitational 2025, though a disappointing display at the RE:L0:AD 2025. They would have a similar finish at the Esports World Cup 2025, though they did secure a solid prize pool at those events.

A second-place finish at the Stage 1 North America League group stage was a highlight, though the Last Chance Qualifier would be the ideal way to end 2025. DarkZero will go into the LCQ as one of the favourite teams, due to their points total in the points standings.

Oxygen Esports

Oxygen Esports had a similar showing to DarkZero in 2025, though a better performance at the Six Invitational 2025 saw them secure a very impressive $105,000 in winnings as they looked to find the form they had in 2023.

Oxygen ended 2025 well, making top 4 in the Regional Finals, though inconsistent form throughout the year saw them not secure enough points to automatically qualify.

LCQ it is. pic.twitter.com/NviWKXzJI2

— Oxygen Esports (@OXG_Esports) December 1, 2025

Cloud9

It’s been a disappointing year for Cloud9 in Rainbow Six, having failed to break through in any of the major events of the year, having competed at the RE:L0:AD 2025 and both Stages of the North America Lead. Securing no points on the Global Standing, the Last Chance Qualifier really is the last chance for Cloud9 to turn their year around.

A notable win against Spacestation Gaming in the Group Stage of the NAL 2025 Stage 2 is a standout, and the sort of performance they’ll need to channel in January if they have any hope of making it to the Six Invitational in Paris.

ENVY

ENVY are the final Tier 1 side in the Last Chance Qualifier, having qualified with an unsurprisingly dominant run through the first open qualifier. It’s a big chance for ENVY to make up for some of the disappointments in 2025, having started fairly well in the NAL 2025 Stage 2, things unravelled towards the end of the Group Stage. Now, with one last chance to qualify for Paris, ENVY won’t be a favourite, but they have a chance, especially given the sides they will play should be more of their level.

Qor Gaming

It’s been a solid year for Qor in the Tier 2 scene, having secured victory at ELEMENT FIVE, BLITZ Season 3, and THE FINALE. While they go in as a major underdog, they might be the strongest of the tier 2 sides playing at the event, with a shot at the Six Invitational on the line. It’s a huge chance for the Qor team to step up.