The 2026 League of Legends esports season officially begins March 16th in São Paulo, Brazil, with the First Stand Tournament. Eight teams representing six regions will compete for the inaugural First Stand title and crucial seeding advantages for the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational (MSI).
First Stand, returning for its 2026 iteration, is designed to showcase regional strengths and innovative strategies early in the season. Every match throughout the tournament will be a best-of-five series, emphasizing adaptation and high-stakes gameplay, according to Riot Games.
The teams vying for the championship are: Gen.G and BNK FearX from the LCK (Korea); LOUD from the CBLOL (Brazil); G2 Esports from the LEC (Europe); LYON from the LCS (North America); Team Secret Whales from the LCP (Pacific Championship Series); and two teams yet to be determined from the LPL (China), following qualification matches concluding March 7th.
The tournament will unfold in two stages: a Group Stage from March 16th to 20th, and a Knockout Stage culminating in the Finals on March 22nd. All times are 6:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM BRT / 10:00 PM KST for the Group and Knockout Stages, with the Finals also at 6:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM BRT / 10:00 PM KST.
Beyond the competition, Riot Games will host the Runeterra Fan Fest at the Visual Farm Gymnasium on March 22nd, coinciding with the Finals. The event will offer fans gameplay stations for Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends, 2XKO, and Wild Rift, alongside cosplay displays, an artist’s gallery, and merchandise opportunities. Members of the game development team will also be present to interact with players and creators. Tickets for the Fan Fest are free and available on a first-reach, first-served basis.
Fans can also support their favorite teams through the “Warhounds Senna” skin bundle, with a portion of the proceeds from purchases between March 18th and April 15th being allocated to the participating LoL Esports teams. Viewers tuning in live on LoLEsports.com can earn Drops, including an exclusive Evelynn emote during the Finals, and potentially surprise Drops from the Esports World Cup and Secretlab.
Twitch subscribers to participating LoL Esports channels will receive benefits such as ad-free viewing, custom chat emotes, badges, and channel points. Riot Games will allocate a portion of subscription revenue to the Global Revenue Pool, supporting leagues and teams within the LoL Esports ecosystem. Subscribers who use a paid or gifted subscription will receive an in-game Yunara emote after claiming the reward in their Twitch inventory, starting March 9th.
Co-streaming will be available for the tournament, with on-site co-streaming planned with local talent. An interactive Co-Streamer Hub powered by OperaGX will showcase official co-streaming channels, with filtering options for language preferences. The full roster of co-streamers will be revealed on March 11th. Standard Content Creator Guidelines apply to all third-party content creators.
The First Stand tournament’s outcome will directly impact MSI seeding, with a Play-In Stage bye awarded to the winning region. The Mid-Season Invitational is scheduled to take place in Daejeon, South Korea, from June 26th to July 12th.
