Six Invitational 2021 – Format, Schedule, Predictions and Betting Tips

The Six Invitational 2021is the World Championship of Rainbow Six. This is one of the biggest esports tournaments each year, and while things are a bit different in 2021, the event is going to be no less exciting. Six Invitational betting can be a fun way to spice things up when you’re watching the tournament too. It is important to know how everything works for the event first though and keep in mind some Rainbow Six betting tips.

The Six Invitational 2021 format is going to be a bit different this year, but it continues the spirit of international competition from the past. This is what you need to know about the Six Invitational, its schedule, and how everything works.

What is Six Invitational?

The Six Invitational is a tournament held every year as the world championship of Rainbow Six. The event is held by the game’s developer, Ubisoft. The best teams from around the world are invited to compete against each other in an international invitational. The event isn’t quite a World Cup, but it is the closest thing that Rainbow Six has!

The event is held every February, typically in Montreal. This year it has been relocated to Paris. The event pits the best teams out there against each other, so it can provide a real answer to the question of who is the best Rainbow Six team.

Six Invitational 2021 Postponed [UPDATED]

While the team behind the Six Invitational 2021 already had to mark down some major changes to their plans to allow for Covid, the event has now been postponed entirely. It was supposed to take place in February/March of 2021, but has now been officially rescheduled for May of this year.

Most of the details will remain the same – the teams that have already qualified will be the ones to compete, and the $3m prize pool will also be the same. The exact dates and locations haven’t been announced yet. The Six Invitational schedule will be released in the near future – thankfully, there is still a bit of time to go before the R6 Invitationals.

Teams have the option of swapping players from and to their rosters, but with some additional rules. Players swapped out of the rosters will still receive a share of the prize money that the team receives, as a thank-you for helping the team qualify. Naturally, new players that join will also receive a share as long as they participate in the Six Invitational 2021.

Changes to the Global Circuit & European League 2021

As part of the changes made to the Global Circuit, Ubisoft will reinstate overtimes and eliminates draws. So, matches will be decided by bo3 overtimes, eliminating the possibility of ties. Teams will also be allowed to have two distinct rosters, one for national and one for regional competitions. Up to 12 players can be assigned so that a minimum of 7 players is assigned to each specific roster.

The European League 2021 will keep the same format but have 9 days of play in 7 weeks, instead of the original 5. One match per week will take place on Mondays, with the last two playdays being on a weekend instead of Mondays.

In order to accommodate the new Six Invitational 2021, the first Stage of the European League has also been adjusted – it will now start on March 18^th at 6pm CET, to make sure teams have sufficient time to prep and participate in either event.

Format and Schedule of Six Invitational 2021

The Rainbow Six Invitational 2021 is having a slightly different format to normal. This is to accommodate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event was to be held in Paris this time around and without a live audience. While that has changed, the Six Invitational schedule is and format will remain the same.

The roster has expanded, bringing a couple more teams into the action. This is how the tournament is going to be held:

Group Stage – The event will begin with a Group Stage. This takes place February 9-14th. *Dates TBA (May 2021)
This is a round-robin format divided into two groups.
Each group is made up of teams.
They each play each other in a best of 1 format.
Top 8 teams from each group advance.
Play-Offs – This event is going to be held February 17-21. *Dates TBA (May 2021)
It is a Double Elimination bracket.
All matches Best of 3, except for the grand final which is best of 5.
The upper bracket winner goes into the Grand Final with 1 map advantage.

So the format of the tournament is going to be fine to be played without an audience, and the action of the games themselves will largely be unaffected. The prize pool for 2021 is currently unknown, although it is going to be partially funded by Rainbow Six Siege Invitational skins.

Where to Watch the Six Invitational?

Finally, you can find the Six Invitational matches on Twitch when you’re looking to tune into the action. If you are betting on the event, some bookies will be running live streamers of the event too. Keep an eye out for Twitch streams if you’re a big fan too, as there will be Twitch drops operating on some channels hosting the event!

Six Invitational 2021 Betting Tips

The Six Invitational is a really fun tournament, but what about betting on it? It can be a good way to make the matches a little more exciting, and try to win based on whichever team you support’s performance. There are some pitfalls though! These are Six Invitational betting tips to help you make sure you do things sensibly:

Do Your Research – This is one of the most important things in any type of esports betting. Make sure you thoroughly research the tournament you’re betting on. Consider all of the teams, if their place in the bracket is going to affect their performance and the team’s current standing.
Only Bet What you Can Afford to Lose – Gambling on esports should be fun, not a hail-mary to pay rent. Keep things fun, don’t be any money you can’t afford to lose, and don’t chase losses.
Consider the Roster and Team History – This is a pretty important thing to think about with each match you’re planning on betting on. Look at the individual roster and assess the players. See how these teams fared last time they directly clashed.
Changed Format – Keep in mind that the Six Invitational is uncharted territory with its grown roster and format. Bear this mind when making Six Invitational 2021 predictions based on previous years.

If you can do all of the research on the markets and keep things fun, betting on R6 is a great way to add something to matches.

Finding the Best Six Invitational Betting Opportunities

One important tip for betting on any esports event is to take a good look at the bookmakers available. Esports is an emerging market, and there are lots of outlets out there that have completely different offerings. Some esports bookies are going to be offering completely different odds and markets for a game than others. Have a look around, and make sure you’re going with a bookmaker that offers you the best odds and features. It might even be a good time to take advantage of a welcome offer!

History and Background of the Six Invitational

The Six Invitational has become one of the biggest Rainbow Six events out there. However, it has only been running for a few years. The Six Invitational began in 2017 when two events ran. One for PC, and one for Xbox. Another event was held in 2018, then in 2019 and 2020.

Each of these events took place in Montreal. The first two instances of the tournament only had six competitors and a tighter format. There was also only a $100,000 prize pool for these events.

Things took a step up in 2017, where the number of teams was increased to 16, and the prize pool shot up to $500,000.

In 2019, the prize pool grew to $2,000,000, and again in 2020 with $3,000,000. The participants have now been bumped up to 20 too, although the prize pool is yet to be announced. The exact Six Invitational schedule has varied through the years too, to accommodate the growing roster. This does make Six Invitational 2021 predictions difficult, since this is a unique type event.

Previous Winners

The Six invitational’s past winners have been pretty diverse, with no team taking home the top space twice. These are the previous winners of the event:

2017 (PC) – cTm
2017 Xbox – Elevate
2018 – PENTA
2019 – G2
2020 – SSG

The runners up in each event have been:

2017 (PC) – eRa
2017 Xbox – Vitality.B
2018 – EG
2019 – Empire
2020 – NiP

Keep track of our News Section for specific match predictions and news once Six Invitational gets going. We will keep an updated betting prediction section for each stage of the event.