Rainbow Six: European League 2022 begins:

After a brief hiatus, the European League has returned, but in a dramatically altered shape as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

Virtus.Pro and Team Empire, both with strong links to Russia, are now compelled to compete under neutral flags. Because of Vitality's unexpected departure, the squad is now known as "LFO." Whatever way you slice it, the EUL looks very different from last year as compared to this year.

Format

Regular Season: March 28th- May 2nd, 2022
Single round-robin league format
All matches are Bo1
Scoring system: regular win gives 3 points, overtime win gives 2 points and overtime defeat gives 1 point
Top 4 teams go to the Six Major
Quarantined Operators
Azami

Prize pool: €50,000 (≃ $55,026 USD)

Schedule & Where to watch

#R6EUL will be back this Monday! We are kicking things off with a superweek and here's the playday #1 schedule:

OUTSIDERS vs. @LookingForOrgR6
PWNZ vs. @teamsecret @G2esports vs. @Rogue @natusvincere vs. @TeamBDS @heroicgg vs. @MNMGaming

📅 See you on March 28th! pic.twitter.com/0PTlP071wa
— Rainbow Six Esports EU (@R6esportsEU) March 22, 2022

Here are the current results and the matchup schedule, you can click on the matches to take yourself directly to the detailed match page and watch the match live. You can also follow the matches on Rainbow Six Esports official Youtube channel.

Teams that are highlighted in bold have the odds in favour.

Playday 1

OUT vs. Looking For Org LFO (March 28, 2022 - 19:00 UTC+3) 2.10 vs. 1.65
PWNZ vs. Team Secret (March 28, 2022 - 20:15 UTC+3) 1.58 vs. 2.25
G2 vs. Rogue (March 28, 2022 - 21:30 UTC+3) 1.48 vs. 2.50
NAVI vs. Team BDS (March 28, 2022 - 22:45 UTC+3) 2.60 vs. 1.45
Heroic vs. MNM Gaming (March 29, 2022 - 00:00 UTC+3) 1.72 vs. 2.00

Teams

Rogue

Rogue is a question mark after a successful finish to the year but a significant roster change. On a squad with multiple senior players, Leon "LeonGids" Giddens shifts to the hard breach position. The most significant change? Reintroducing Juhani "Kantoraketti" Toivonen to top-tier competition.

BDS

The French juggernaut remains unaffected and expects another year of regional greatness. Except for Pro League Season 11, BDS has finished in the top four in the standings for the previous two years in a row. BDS has a history of long playoff runs and regional play, and there's no reason to expect anything different in 2022.

Looking for Organization

Ex-Vitality added brilliant teenager Dahmani "Mowwwgli" Yanis to their firepower, but otherwise remained the same. Their major early 2021 roster swap paid off - LFO made the Sweden Major and was on the verge of qualifying for SI before being knocked out by Secret. A little extra ferocity from Mowwwgli may be just what the doctor ordered to take LFO to the next level.

Team SECRET

Team Secret has returned as well, preferring to stay exactly the same after a few rough patches in 2021. They could have something in the works, though: Secret showed well in the SI Open Qualifier and came extremely close to making SI.

MNM Gaming

The newcomers are coming off a strong SI run and might ride a wave of enthusiasm into the top half of the league. Regional play differs from tournament play, but MNM looked downright amazing at times at SI. To get back to where they want to be, they'll need to demonstrate that they can compete with the best on a consistent basis — they've already demonstrated that they can compete on their finest day.

G2 Esports

Stop me if you've heard this before: G2 is looking to form an esports superteam. G2's calling card is to acquire the finest available. Karl "Alem4o" Zarth, the Brazilian prodigy that exploded onto the world stage in 2021, is without a doubt one of the greatest. Time will tell whether this superteam endeavour pays off – but at the very least, the positions appear to be more defined this time around. Kevin "Prano" Pranowitz and Jack "Doki" Robertson also join, and this roster will have courageous entrants as well as IGL capabilities.

Outsiders (Virtus.Pro)

Virtus.Pro also chose to rebuild, bringing in rookies Kirill "SmashByAsh" Belozerov and Yaroslav "FMX" Kurzin. Outsiders have had high hopes since the Raleigh Major – but that was three years ago. It's time for them to live up to their full potential.

Natus Vincere (NAVI)

After dispatching Doki in that way, NAVI called in Jordan "Kayak" Morley from G2. NAVI faltered at the conclusion of the season and failed to live up to expectations at international competitions. This team is still solid and can compete with the best on their day.

PWNZ (Team Empire)

Team Empire may go through a hard patch as they adjust to becoming one of the most despised teams as a result of roster changes and a slew of new faces. There is potential here — but the situation is awful, and it is not all the fault of this roster.

Heroic

In rostermania, Heroic may have come out on top. Cowana Gaming has moved their lineup to the Heroic banner, and they have also signed veteran Aleksi "UUNO" Työppönen. This is a quality group with respectable placements that has the potential to thrive domestically given the appropriate settings.

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European League 2022 - Stage 1 Schedule & Betting odds