The start of a new season for LoL Esports has arrived, bringing exciting updates, fresh formats, and a global event roadmap that promises unforgettable moments for fans worldwide. The 2025 season officially kicks off with the following regional start dates:
LPL: January 12
LCK: January 15
LCP: January 17
LEC: January 18
LTA: January 25
Split 1
One of the most significant changes this season is the introduction of the Full Fearless Draft in Split 1. This format, which bans champions previously picked in a best-of series, is designed to push teams to tap into their full champion pools. For instance, if you see a K’Sante and Renekton matchup in Game 1, it won’t be repeated for the rest of the series, driving teams to showcase their creativity and adaptability. This innovation will impact the meta across all regions, where Fearless Draft will be a staple in Split 1 and will also be used in the new international event, First Stand Tournament.
First Stand Tournament
The First Stand Tournament, set for March 10-16 at LoL Park in Seoul, Korea, will feature the top team from each region’s Split 1 results. With its goal to be a defining moment in early-season LoL Esports, this tournament utilizes Fearless Draft and raises the stakes: the winning team will earn a second bye for their region at MSI 2025, advancing directly to the Bracket Stage.
First Stand consists of two distinct stages: the Bo3 Round Robin Stage, where teams compete in a single best-of-three (Bo3) round-robin format, and the Bo5 Knockout Stage, where the top four teams advance to a seeded, single-elimination best-of-five (Bo5) bracket. The tournament eliminates the need for a drawing process, with all teams directly placed into the Round Robin stage for a streamlined and straightforward structure.
Round Robin Stage
In the Round Robin Stage, each team competes in a single best-of-three (Bo3) series against every other team, ensuring a fair and comprehensive competition. Game 1 side selection for each series is randomly pre-determined, guaranteeing that every team has side selection advantage in two series while the other two series do not include this benefit. At the end of this stage, the fifth-place team is eliminated, while the top four teams advance to the Knockout Stage.
Knockout Stage
The top four teams from the Round Robin advance to a single-elimination best-of-five (Bo5) bracket, with matchups determined by Round Robin results: 1st place faces 4th place, and 2nd place faces 3rd place. The winners of these matchups progress through the bracket, culminating in a final showdown to crown the First Stand champion.
Fearless Explained
In Fearless Draft, any champions used in previous games of a best-of-series become unavailable for both teams in subsequent games, regardless of which team selected them. This results in an additional set of bans known as "Fearless Bans." The standard 10 bans from the pick/ban phase ("Standard Bans") remain in place for every game.
Here’s how it works:
Game 1: 10 Standard Bans
Game 2: 20 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 10 Fearless Bans)
Game 3: 30 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 20 Fearless Bans)
Game 4: 40 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 30 Fearless Bans)
Game 5: 50 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 40 Fearless Bans)
This format challenges teams to adapt continuously, bringing fresh strategies and champion picks to every game.
Check out the explainer video to dive deeper into Fearless Draft and the First Stand Tournament!
MSI 2025
Looking beyond First Stand, more updates are in store for MSI and Worlds this season. MSI 2025 heads to Vancouver, Canada, from June 27-July 12. Returning to Canada for a live LoL Esports event for the first time since 2017, fans can anticipate the thrill and energy that the Vancouver crowd is known for.
Two teams from each of the five regions will battle for the MSI Champion title as well as an additional Worlds slot for the two best performing regions to up the ante. We’ve made a few adjustments to the MSI format for this year, which we’re excited to share closer to the event, but we will reveal that each match will be a Best-of-5 throughout the entire tournament!
Worlds 2025
This year’s Worlds will be hosted across some of China’s most iconic cities. Play-Ins and the Swiss Stage will commence in Beijing, with the Quarterfinals and Semifinals in Shanghai, culminating in a grand final in Chengdu. While we'll share more venue-specific details soon(™), one update we are rolling out this year is the elimination of the break week between Quarterfinals and Semifinals. A lot of fans have shared feedback about feeling the momentum of Worlds drop during this timeframe, so we are excited to run these stages of the tournament back-to-back for nonstop action.
Worlds will feature 17 teams: 3 slots per region, 1 slot to the second-best performing region from MSI 2025, and 1 slot to the region of the MSI 2025 Champion. We’ll be back to share more information about the full Worlds format later this year.
Drops 2025
Drops are returning to LoL Esports in 2025, supporting the regular season and major events like First Stand, MSI, and Worlds. While most Drops are randomized and can happen at any time during a match, some moments are guaranteed - every Pentakill or Baron steal that occurs in a Tier 1 League or Tournament will trigger a Drop.
Throughout the year, the Esports 2025 Capsule will be available, along with exclusive emotes and icons inspired by your favorite League of Legends Champions, with a few Poros sprinkled in, to celebrate each tournament's biggest moments. Log in to lolesports.com with your Riot ID for a chance to claim drops as they happen.
LoL Esports in 2026 and Beyond
Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, fans can get an early glimpse of our selected global event destinations. First Stand in 2026 will kick off in Brazil, home to some of the most passionate esports fans. The season then moves to Korea for MSI 2026, followed by a return of Worlds to North America. In 2027, First Stand will head to Southeast Asia, MSI will return to Europe, and Worlds will once again be hosted in Korea, marking an exciting cycle of events across our regions.
With an ambitious roadmap and innovative formats, LoL Esports fans have much to look forward to this season. Here’s to an amazing year ahead!
