Many regions are bracing for the first international tournament of the year, given the months of pro play with the new Fearless Draft format, we are certainly in for a lot of banger matches.
With that in mind, we will go over everything we know thus far about the League of Legends First Stand tournament as well as the teams that will be participating in it.
Table of Contents
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First Stand Tournament
As mentioned above, the tournament will consist of an entirely Fearless Draft.
Once a champion is selected, it becomes unavailable for both teams for the remainder of the series. This means that with each game, 10 additional "Fearless Bans" are added. The typical 10 bans from the pick/ban phase will remain intact, making every choice critical and ensuring no repeat picks, even in Game 5.
This will test each team's ability to create a strong comp and with the limitations presented, it will be difficult to fight Bo3 and Bo5 matches, with such a limited champion pool. A total of 5 teams are invited from the LCK (Korea), LPL (China), LTA (Americas), LEC (EMEA), and LCP (Asia-Pacific) with the tournament being split into two stages:
Stage 1 (Group Stage)
- Single Round Robin
- Matches are best of three
- Top four teams advance to Stage 2
Stage 2 (Knockout Stage)
- Single elimination bracket
- Matches are best of five
The winning region will secure a second direct spot in the MSI 2025 Bracket Stage, ultimately skipping the Play-Ins stage.
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First Stand Teams
At the time of writing this article, 3 teams have already qualified for the First Stand tournament in South Korea, starting on March 10, 2025, and ending on March 16, 2025.
LCK Team - HLE
After a merciless Bo5 final between Gen.G and HLE, Hanwha Life Esports was able to win the 2025 LCK Cup and get a chance to represent their region at the first ever Fearless Draft tournament.
LTA Team - TL
After a fairly clean 3-0 series in the 100 vs TL match, Team Liquid won the 2025 LTA Split 1 Playoffs and will get to represent the Americas.
LCP Team - CFO
The newly-created LoL Championship Pacific (LCP) has selected the team that will represent the region after 3-1 series between CFO and TLN had everyone on the edge of their seats.
LPL Team - TES
The 2025 LPL Split 1 Playoffs Champion is Top Esports, winning in 3-1 fashion in 5 difficult best-of-five matches in the LPL, and winning the opportunity to represent the Chinese region in the First Stand Tournament.
LEC Team - KC
Karmine Corp massacred G2 Esports during the 2025 LEC Winter Finals, as they won their series 3-0, securing the final spot at the First Stand Tournament.
And that covers all of the teams that have been selected to represent their regions. We can expect a lot of banger matches so stay tuned for more League of Legends.
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