Esports fans in Australia are in for a treat this October, as the Rainbow Six Siege Asia Pacific League (APL) Major Qualifier will be staged live at PAX Melbourne 2025. The three-day event is set to be the biggest Rainbow Six Siege tournament ever held in the country, giving fans the chance to watch top-tier Siege action up close.
The qualifier brings together eight of the best teams from the region, all fighting for a share of more than $70,000 AUD and one of four coveted spots at the BLAST R6 Major in Munich this November. With international glory and a ticket to the Six Invitational 2026 on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Who’s competing?
The eight teams taking part will be decided by the APL Stage 2 Playoffs and include:
- The top four from APAC North
- The top two from Asia
- The top two from Oceania
That means every match in Stage 2 will be critical, with teams battling not just for standings but for their chance to represent the region on the world stage.
Schedule and format
The action kicks off on Friday, 10 October at Fortress Melbourne. Matches start at 9am AEST and will initially be played behind closed doors until 5pm, when the venue opens to fans free of charge. From then until 11pm, spectators will get their first taste of live Siege competition as teams fight to secure spots on the PAX main stage.
On Saturday, 11 October, the focus shifts to the PAX Arena Stage at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The top four teams will battle it out in three best-of-three matches, starting from 11am AEST, in front of a full PAX crowd.
Sunday, 12 October, is Grand Final day. The hype begins with a creator showmatch featuring some of Australia’s most entertaining personalities, followed by a third-place decider to lock in seeding for Munich. The day then culminates in the Grand Final itself, where one team will walk away with the lion’s share of the prize pool and claim the APL crown.
How to watch
For those not able to make it to Melbourne, every match will be streamed live. Viewers can tune in via Twitch, with both A and B streams running throughout the weekend:
- A stream: twitch.tv/rainbow6
- B stream: twitch.tv/rainbow6bravo
Local language broadcasts are also expected, with details to be confirmed closer to the event.
Tickets and entry
Entry to Friday’s Fortress Melbourne sessions is completely free, while the PAX Arena matches on Saturday and Sunday require a PAX Australia badge. Fans can secure theirs through the PAX ticket website.
Road to Munich
The four best teams from PAX Melbourne will move on to the BLAST R6 Major in Munich, running from 8 to 16 November 2025. The Major is a vital step in the Siege calendar, as it determines which international teams will qualify for the Six Invitational 2026, the crown jewel of Rainbow Six esports.
With the atmosphere of PAX Melbourne behind it and a stacked line-up of APAC talent, the APL Major Qualifier promises to be one of the standout esports events of the year.