2026 First Stand Tournament

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2026 First Stand Tournament
Tournament information
SportLeague of Legends
LocationSão Paulo, Brazil
Dates16–22 March
AdministratorRiot Games
Teams8
← 2025
2027 →

The 2026 First Stand Tournament will be the second First Stand Tournament (FST) – a League of Legends tournament organized by publisher Riot Games at the conclusion of the first split in the current competitive calendar of the game's professional esports scene. The tournament will be held in São Paulo, Brazil from 16 to 22 March 2026.[1]

It will be the second international League of Legends competition to be hosted in Brazil after the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational.[2] The tournament will be held between 16-22 March 2026 and will feature eight teams.

Hanwha Life Esports of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) are the defending champions.[3]

Qualification

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Unlike the inaugural edition in 2025, the tournament will feature eight teams.[4] Two teams each from the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) and League of Legends Pro League (LPL) will qualify by finishing as finalists of their respective splits, while one team from each of the other major regions, the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), League Championship Series (LCS), Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL), and the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), will qualify through winning their respective splits. This will be the first international League of Legends tournament since the 2024 World Championship to feature representatives from the LCS and CBLOL, after both leagues were reinstated after the discontinuation of the League of Legends Championship of The Americas (LTA) in 2025.[5]

Venue

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Brazil was chosen to host the tournament on 8 January 2025 in a development update video published by Riot Games to begin the 2025 competitive season.[6] São Paulo was revealed as the host city on 5 November 2025 alongside an announcement of the 2026 CBLOL season's season structure and format.[7]

During the media day for the 2025 League of Legends World Championship final in Chengdu, China two days later on 7 November 2025, the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo was confirmed as the tournament venue.

São Paulo, Brazil
Riot Games Arena
Capacity: 140
2026 First Stand Tournament (Brazil)

Format

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The tournament is expected adapt the Fearless Draft format, where teams cannot pick a champion that they've already played in a series, even if the opposing team already picked that champion. All games during the tournament will be best of 5s, although the larger format is currently unknown. The winner of the Final is crowned FST champion and may give their region's two representatives automatic advancement or byes to the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational's Bracket Stage.

References

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  1. ^ "Looking Ahead: LoL Esports 2025". lolesports.com. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  2. ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (8 January 2025). "Riot just dropped the schedule and location for every LoL esports tournament up to 2027". Dot Esports. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  3. ^ Bernardo, Anna (16 March 2025). "Hanwha Life Esports are the first-ever League of Legends First Stand champions". GosuGamers. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  4. ^ Harbinson, Darragh (7 November 2025). "Worlds, MSI, and First Stand 2026 locations revealed". GosuGamers. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  5. ^ Ciocchetti, Cecilia (September 28, 2025). "Riot bids farewell to the LTA as LCS and CBLOL return in 2026". Esports Insider. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  6. ^ Daniels, Tom (8 January 2025). "League of Legends announces international esports event locations for 2026 and 2027". Esports Insider. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Tudo sobre o CBLOL 2026". LoL Esports (in Portuguese). 5 November 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.