© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Riot Games. All Rights Reserved.
The First Stand Tournament kicks off the annual LoL Esports season, bringing together teams from each region for early-season competition. Designed to spark regional rivalries and showcase innovative strategies, First Stand sets the tone for the year ahead in LoL Esports. Teams battle not only for the First Stand trophy, but also for advantageous seeding for their region at the Mid-Season Invitational.
The rulebook for the 2026 First Stand Tournament can be found here.
It’s a fresh season. The battlefield is unmapped, the meta untested, and it’s gonna take grit to reach that glorious dream in the distance. FST isn’t the time for caution. This is your moment for decisive action, wild ideas, and gutsy plays. When your path is blocked, forge a new one. When they count you out, prove them wrong. Fail fearlessly, then get up and keep going. Because there’s no retreat here: only forward.
The First Stand Tournament will take place from March 16-22 at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo, Brazil.
Group Stage (March 16-20): 6 am PDT / 10 am BRT / 10 pm KST
Knockout Stage (March 21): 6 am PDT / 10 am BRT / 10 pm KST
Knockout Stage - Finals (March 22): 6 am PDT / 10 am BRT / 10 pm KST
These teams secured their ticket to FST 2026:
CHINA - LPL
Qualifies March 4
Qualifies March 7
KOREA - LCK
Gen.G (GEN)
BNK FearX (BFX)
EUROPE - LEC
G2 Esports (G2)
NORTH AMERICA - LCS
LYON (LYON)
APAC - LCP
Team Secret Whales (TSW)
BRAZIL - CBLOL
LOUD (LOUD)
Join us for the FST Draw Show following the conclusion of the LPL Finals on March 7!
First Stand consists of two stages: the Group Stage and the Knockout Stage. Every match will be a best-of-five, ensuring deeper adaptation, more high-stakes moments, and an early-season showcase of regional identity and individual brilliance.
We’re bringing Demacia to São Paulo! The Runeterra Fan Fest will be an immersive community experience, taking place at the Visual Farm Gymnasium. Fans will be able to watch the FST Finals, check out gameplay stations for TFT, LoL, 2XKO, and Wild Rift, meet cosplayers, purchase and support local artists at the Artist’s Gallery, get swag, and more. Members of the game dev team will be present to engage with local players and creators. Tickets are free and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
From March 18–April 15, we will share a portion of proceeds from Warhounds Senna and related skin/chroma bundles with LoL Esports teams! Fans can purchase Warhounds Senna as a standalone skin, a border set bundle, or a chroma bundle, with individual chromas also available.
First Stand is headed to São Paulo, but you can still earn Drops no matter where you’re watching from! Tune in live on LoLEsports.com and log in with your Riot ID for a chance to earn Drops throughout the tournament. An exclusive Evelynn emote will Drop during the Finals match, with additional surprise Drops from the Esports World Cup and Secretlab lighting up select moments along the way.
All Twitch subscribers to participating LoL Esports channels* during First Stand receive benefits like custom chat emotes, badges, and ad-free viewing. Riot will allocate a portion of the proceeds to the Global Revenue Pool, which directly supports leagues and teams in the LoL Esports ecosystem.
Twitch Subscription Perks:
Ad-free Viewing: Enjoy uninterrupted broadcasts.
Event-Exclusive Twitch Chat Emotes: Showcase your fandom in chat with unique emotes.
Twitch Channel Badges: Display loyalty with special subscriber badges.
Channel Points: Earn and redeem points for fun interactions.
Subscriber-Only Chat: Participate in exclusive discussions.
“And That's It.” In-Game Emote for Paid and Gifted Subs on LoL Esports Channels: Starting March 9, fans who subscribe to our esports channels using a paid or gifted sub* on Twitch will receive a new Yunara in-game emote after claiming the reward in their Twitch inventory. To receive the in-game emote after subscribing:
Connect your Twitch and Riot accounts
Subscribe to a participating channel with a paid or gifted sub
Claim the reward from your Twitch inventory
For more information about drops, please see the Twitch Drops website.
Note: Prime subscriptions are not eligible for the in-game emote reward.
* Participating LoL Esports Channels:
Event Chat Badges: Event chat badges are back! Fans who meet specific criteria on our official LoL Esports Channels or participating co-streamers and broadcast partners can receive the First Stand global chat badges to add to their collection.
To receive the Orange Badge: Meet the Minutes Watched criteria on any participating LoL Esports, co-streamer, or broadcast partner channels during First Stand
To receive the Gold Badge: Subscribe to any participating LoL Esports, co-streamer, or broadcast partner channel during First Stand
For more information about the chat badge drops criteria and participating channels, visit twitch.tv/drops.
Co-streaming is back for FST 2026! This year, we’re excited to bring on-site co-streaming to FST, with local talent expected to attend and co-stream live across multiple stages of the event. All qualifying professional teams are invited to host official team co-streams throughout the tournament, enhancing the viewing experience for their fans.
We’re also thrilled to bring back the Co-Streamer Hub powered by OperaGX, an interactive directory that showcases all official co-streaming channels, with filtering options for preferred languages.
The full roster of co-streamers will be revealed on March 11—stay tuned for more updates!
Lastly, for all other third party content creators (i.e. those that have not been officially invited to live stream the tournament), the standard Content Creator Guidelines remain in effect.
