Last year’s Rainbow Six Siege competitive season is wrapping up with the game’s world championship event, the Six Invitational, taking place from February 8-20.
The game’s best teams are set to meet in Sweden for the massive event, bringing nearly two weeks of epic Rainbow Six action to our screens. Every team at this event earned their spot after a year of grueling competition, gathering ranking points over multiple events. Now, they all start on an even playing field, aiming to be crowned Six Invitational champions.
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Before we take a look at the event in more detail, make sure to refresh yourself on all things Rainbow Six, and let’s dive right in.
Who’s Playing At The Six Invitational 2022?
The Six Invitational is one of Rainbow Six’s biggest events, with a total of 20 teams battling it out. This includes squads from all the different competitive regions in the game: Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
Ninjas in Pyjamas headline the event, coming in as one of the favorites and reigning champions. They’re joined by favorites from all around the world, including FaZe Clan, BDS Esport, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, Team Empire, DWG KIA and many others. Everyone’s got someone to cheer for!
There may be some rust to shake off at this event, with most teams having last played a competitive match in 2021, for some even way back in November. This is where teams that qualified through a last-chance qualifier event, which took place at the end of January, may have a bit of an advantage as they come in warmed up.
Moving on to the event itself, we see a pretty standard Six Invitational format. It kicks off with four round-robin groups of five teams. At this stage, each team plays all the others in its group once in best-of-three matches. The first-placed teams from each group advance to round 2 of the playoffs, while second- and third-placed teams advance to round 1. Then, the fourth-placed teams are seeded directly into the lower bracket, while the fifth-placed teams are eliminated.
After the group stage comes the double-elimination playoffs. Here teams battle it out in best-of-three matches and after a series loss either drop to the lower bracket, or are eliminated once they lose in the lower bracket. This essentially means most teams have two lives.
Who Will Win Six Invitational 2022?
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| FaZe Clan | +700 |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | +700 |
| BDS Esport | +800 |
| Team Liquid | +800 |
| Team oNeRogue | +800 |
| Natus Vincere | +900 |
| Team Empire | +1100 |
| Elevate | +1200 |
| Spacestation | +1200 |
| DWG KIA | +1400 |
| Furia | +1400 |
| DarkZero | +1600 |
| SANDBOX | +1600 |
Odds as of February 4 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
How Will A Lengthy Break Affect The Six Invitational?
The Six Invitational kicks off quite a long time after the end of regular-season competition. As such, most teams enter the event having last played an official match in December, or even November for some.
That’s over a two-month break for a lot of teams coming into the event. This means there will definitely be some rust to shake off. Of course, teams have been practicing and getting ready for the tournament, but there’s a world of difference between practice matches and the biggest event of the year.
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This may have an impact on how teams start the tournament and their performance in the first few matches. For example, favorites FaZe Clan last played an official match on November 28. Meanwhile, regional rivals MiBR played as recently as February 1, winning the Latin America qualifier.
Considering this, we could very well see some upsets in the group stage. If we see a warmed-up squad like MiBR take on a team that hasn’t played in months, they could very well get off to a hot start and use the momentum to quickly close out a match and snatch a win away from one of the favorites. A result like that wouldn’t decide the event by any means, but it might make for an exciting wager.
Ninjas In Pyjamas Look For Back-To-Back Championships
Entering as co-faves, Ninjas in Pyjamas will be looking to continue their Rainbow Six dominance by winning another Six Invitational.
The team completed an incredibly memorable win in 2021, going through possibly the toughest group of opponents in Six Invitational history. NiP took down Team BDS, FaZe Clan, MiBR and Liquid – four of the event’s biggest favorites – on their way to the trophy.
It was by no means an easy journey, with most of their matches going the distance, including a very close 3-2 grand final. The team has kept up its form since, coming in fourth in the global standings, while winning a regional season and claiming multiple podium spots throughout the year.
Coming in at +700, or just odds of 12.50 percent according to our Super Calculator, they don’t seem like the biggest favorite. However, this is just the nature of Rainbow Six, which currently features a very competitive field. Realistically, more than a handful of teams have a shot at the trophy, but the Ninjas are definitely one of the most important teams to watch.
FaZe Enters Six Invitational Hot Off Major Victory
While NiP enters the Six Invitational off the back of history and prestige, FaZe are co-favorites due to their very impressive form.
The team has always been one of the best in the world, but they’ve recently stepped it up. They come in hot off not only a win at Copa Elite Six Stage 3, but also the most recent major, where they defeated none other than NiP in the grand final.
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They’re also a team with one of the freshest squads, having signed a new core in March, putting together a solid mix of young rising stars and experienced players. Between their recent form and a well-balanced roster full of individual talent, it’s no surprise that FaZe enters as one of the favorites.
However, for some of these players it’s going to be the first time playing at such a prestigious event. If they can live up to expectations, we can definitely see FaZe challenging for the trophy, but there’s also a chance some of the newer players crumble under the pressure.
What Makes The Six Invitational So Competitive?
As you may have noticed by the odds, bookmakers peg the Six Invitational to be a very competitive one. The two favorites come in at a whopping +700 and there are four more teams not too far behind.
This is simply due to the incredible amount of talent in the scene at the moment. Brazil spearheads the Latin America region, boasting six squads at the Six Invitational, all of which have the potential to win it.
These teams are all historically the best of the best, having won majors and Six Invitationals in recent history, as well as placing very well at those events. Brazil is simply overflowing with Rainbow Six talent, and it shows.
With that being said, there are also standout teams in other regions. BDS and Natus Vincere represent two of the best European squads, having challenged the best of the best internationally. Similarly, Team Empire have also shown their strength, recently coming second at the Mexico Major.
Overall, there’s simply just a ton of amazing talent in the game at the moment and while Brazil is definitely dominant, there are standout teams from other regions too that can challenge for the trophy.
