The 2026 First Stand Tournament, an international League of Legends esports competition organized by Riot Games, begins Monday and runs through March 22 at the Riot Games Arena. The event marks the second edition of the tournament and serves as the opening international competition of the year in the global LoL esports calendar.

Eight teams from six regions will compete in São Paulo, with Korea’s Gen.G and BNK FEARX representing the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). The teams enter the event aiming to secure a second consecutive First Stand title for the Korean league after the LCK claimed the inaugural championship in 2025.

Other participating teams include Bilibili Gaming and JD Gaming from China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL), G2 Esports representing the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), Team Secret Whales from the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP), LYON representing the League Championship Series (LCS), and Brazil’s LOUD from the Campeonato Brasileiro de League of Legends (CBLOL).

First introduced in 2025, First Stand was designed to open the competitive season and give regional champions an early international test. The tournament often highlights new team rosters and evolving strategies shortly after offseason changes.

Group Stage Begins With LCK vs. LPL Matchups

The tournament begins with a group stage using a double-elimination format. The top two teams from each group advance to the single-elimination knockout stage, with semifinals scheduled for March 21 and the grand final on March 22.

BNK FEARX, competing as Korea’s second seed, opens its campaign against China’s Bilibili Gaming on March 16 in Group A, which also includes G2 Esports and Team Secret Whales. The Korean squad drew attention earlier this year after defeating veteran teams such as T1 and Dplus KIA during the LCK Cup.

Meanwhile, Gen.G will face JD Gaming on March 17 in Group B, which also features LYON and host representative LOUD. All matches will be played as best-of-five series using the Fearless Draft format, a system that prevents teams from repeating previously selected champions within a series.

Alongside the competition, Riot Games announced that a portion of revenue from sales of the Warhound Senna cosmetic skin and related bundles will be distributed to participating League of Legends esports teams. The promotion runs from March 18 through April 15.

Fans watching matches through the official LoL Esports website can also receive in-game drops by logging in with their Riot account. Rewards may include cosmetics such as a limited-edition Evelynn emote available during the grand final broadcast.