DarkZero Do It Again: Salt Lake City Major Champions

DarkZero Esports are the BLAST R6 Major Salt Lake City champions. On May 17, 2026, the North American squad overcame a rough start in the grand final to defeat Shopify Rebellion 3-1 in a Best of 5 series, securing their second Major title in Rainbow Six Siege history.

A Nightmare Opening Map

The grand final did not begin the way DarkZero fans had hoped. Shopify Rebellion opened the series with a dominant performance on Nighthaven Labs, storming to a 7-2 victory that made the championship look firmly in their grasp.

It was an emphatic opening statement from Shopify, who had arrived at the grand final after knocking out two of the tournament's strongest squads, Twisted Minds and G2 Esports, on their impressive playoff run.

Three Maps, One Masterclass

What followed was a masterclass in resilience. DarkZero responded by taking Map 2 on Chalet, erasing any doubts about their ability to perform under pressure. They then continued their momentum with a win on Bank, before closing out the series, winning the last three maps back-to-back to claim the trophy 3-1.

It was a fitting turnaround for a team that had stumbled at the very start of the tournament, suffering an early loss to G2 Esports in the Swiss Stage. From that moment on, DarkZero grinded through the bracket with wins over Ninjas in Pyjamas, LOS, Wildcard, FaZe Clan, and ultimately Shopify Rebellion, only dropping that single game throughout the entire event.

A Second Star on the Jersey

The Salt Lake City victory marks DarkZero's second Major championship. Their first came at the Six Charlotte Major, where they defeated Astralis in the grand final. The connection between both teams runs deeper than just the scoreboard. Troy "Canadian" Jaroslawski, who played for Shopify Rebellion in this final, was still a DarkZero player during that Charlotte triumph.

Kyno Writes His Name in the History Books

One of the most remarkable individual stories to emerge from this event is Leonardo "Kyno" Figueiredo. The Brazilian star became the first player in Rainbow Six Siege history to win back-to-back BLAST R6 Majors for different teams, having previously lifted the BLAST R6 Major Munich trophy. His consecutive Major wins cement his status as one of the most decorated players in the current era of Siege esports.

Back Where It All Started

The win also carries symbolic weight for DarkZero's roots. The former Spacestation Gaming core clinched an international championship just 25 miles from Spacestation's Utah headquarters.

Looking ahead, Operation System Override is scheduled to launch on June 2, 2026, and the next major international event on the horizon is the Esports World Cup 2026, set to take place in August.

DarkZero will head into both milestones as the reigning Major champions, with plenty of momentum on their side.

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Featured Image Credit: Ubisoft / João F.

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