LoL First Stand 2026 to Kick Off in Brazil on March 16

Riot Games has confirmed key details for the First Stand 2026 on March 2, with the competition scheduled for March 16-22 in São Paulo, Brazil. The tournament will bring together eight teams from the world’s major regional leagues for the first cross-regional showdown of the 2026 season.

Organized by Riot Games, the tournament will offer a second bye to Riot’s Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage, along with a $1 million USD prize pool. The event showcases early-season regional strength as champions from LCK (South Korea), LPL (China), LCP (APAC), LEC (EMEA), LCS (North America), and CBLOL (Brazil) will face each other across the two stages of First Stand.

As of now, seven participating teams from these regional circuits and domestic competitions have been announced; the remaining seat is expected to go to the second finalist of LPL. Considering the strength of China and South Korea, LCK and LPL are offering two tickets to the coming event.

The tournament will witness many prominent teams, such as LCK champion Gen.G, LPL winner Bilibili Gaming, LEC’s G2 Esports, along with emerging teams such as LYON, LOUD, and Team Secret Whales.

First Stand 2026 Tournament Structure and Schedule

As mentioned, First Stand 2026 will run across a two-stage competitive format, with Group Stage and Knockout Stage, designed to maximize high-stakes. It will begin with the Group Stage on March 16, where the eight teams are divided into two groups of four. Each group competes in a double-elimination bracket, with all best-of-five (Bo5) matches.

The top two teams from each group advance to the Knockout Stage, forming a single-elimination playoff bracket, determining the tournament champion. The Knockout Stage, segmented in Semifinals and Grand Final, is scheduled on March 21-22.

Both Group and Knockout Stages feature the Fearless Draft format, which prevents teams from reusing previously selected champions within a match series. Additionally, for First Stand 2026, Riot has decided to keep side selection and draft order separated. Under this new update, teams can either choose the pick in the draft or which side to play on.

This condensed structure compresses the international tournament into a one-week window while still offering intense action between the top teams. Riot has informed that First Stand 2026 will be streamed globally through Riot's official broadcast channel. It will also be streamed across various platforms, including YouTube and Twitch.