Rainbow Six will kick off its first World Cup tournament in Summer 2021

Alongside the Prince of Persia remake and Riders Republic announcements at Ubisoft Forward yesterday, Ubisoft also unveiled The Rainbow Six World Cup, which will debut next year. The new tournament will span 45 countries, beginning in the first half of 2021 with the The Qualifier Stage. The Finals will then follow in the Summer as the remaining 20 teams compete for the World Cup trophy.

Ubisoft has also managed to get international basketball star Tony Parker on board as the Ambassador for the upcoming tournament. In an interview posted on Ubisoft's website, Parker outlined why he was keen to be involved in the new esports event:

"I'm excited to meet the players and coaches, share my experience and I think they will have a lot of fun. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to play for my country, learning how to play with different players, different coaches, and I hope the players will enjoy it as much as I did".

Starting next week, each of the participating regions will begin assembling their National Committees. These managers will then be in charge of selecting players to represent their teams on the world stage. 

Ubisoft has already mentioned that 14 countries will receive direct invitations to the Final Stage, whereas the 31 remaining countries will have to compete in the qualifying rounds to earn a spot. This looks to be a huge step up in The Rainbow Six esports scene and will be the first time that fans can vouch for their new national teams.