Rainbow Six US Nationals Returns for Season 2 on April 6th
By Wyatt Fossett ·
After a hearty and successful first outing last year, Ubisoft's Rainbow Six US Nationals series is coming back, and it is starting very soon.
Ubisoft and ESL have officially announced the 2019 US Nationals Rainbow Six Siege season and it is all going to kick-off in Stage 1, just a week from now. With amazing tournaments like the Six Invitational earlier this year, and the Rainbow Six Pro Leagues taking place all over the globe, it's a great time to be an R6 fan.
The Return
In its second season, the United States Nationals is a year-long series that all culminates in a National Finals event in the winter. Last year, the youthful Rogue team won the inaugural US Nationals Final in Las Vegas, Nevada. The series was enough of a hit that Ubisoft and their pro partners will bring the tournament back in 2019.
The US Nationals Program is in collaboration and support of the official Rainbow Six Pro League, and will often feature the same teams and line-ups that have qualified for the North American Pro League. But the true beauty comes with the open online qualifiers, where any assembled team from the United States is allowed to challenge for a spot in the tournament, and the opportunity to be crowned Team USA.
“The Rainbow Six US National program will serve as a spotlight for the United States’ best teams and players on PC. The second season will consist of two Conferences – Eastern & Western, where teams will be able to qualify throughout the three stages of competition” reads the promo.
New Days
Everything is going to kick-off next weekend on April 6th, where we will see the first open qualifier day for the 2019 series. These open days are for any team in the US to compete in. Following the Saturday qualifiers, the highest ranked teams through open play will be invited back to the live broadcast showcase.
The new-look broadcast showcase will take place in the middle of the week. The Western Conference top four from the open bracket play will compete on Tuesdays, and the Eastern Conference top four will play on Thursdays.
Open Team Registration Rules
Throughout the year, teams in America will have four opportunities to earn an invite to the US National Finals in December. Stage 1 takes place in the Spring, Stage 2 is in the Summer, Stage 3 lands in the Fall, and then a Wild Card tournament will be held in October.
Team registration qualifications are as follows:
- Teams must have at least 5 players
- Players must enter their Uplay Nickname game ID
- Players must play using ESL Anticheat (Wire)
- Teams must have at least 5 members with residence in the US
- Players must be at least 18 years old
*Other tournament registration rules apply, check the official Rainbow Six US Nationals registration page for the complete booklet.
While it’s very exciting to see more opportunities for the country’s best Rainbow Six teams face-off with pride on the line, it’s always the upstart underdogs from the open bracket qualifiers that truly ignite the competition in large Esports tournaments like this one.
Beginning on April 6th, fans of Rainbow Six competitive play can check out the action in the US Nationals on their Twitch channel, or YouTube.
