From March 16 to 22, São Paulo, Brazil, will host the second edition of Riot Games' first
international tournament of the year, First Stand. This edition will feature eight teams, up from just five last year. The LPL and the LCK will each send two representatives, while the LEC, LCP, LCS, and
CBLOL will have one team each, with one single question: who will succeed Hanwha Life Esports?
The tournament will begin with a GSL-style group stage, after which four teams will advance to the knockout stage, played in a single-elimination bracket. The entire event will be played in best-of-five series. It is also worth noting that the winning region will receive a direct bye into the Bracket Stage of MSI 2026, skipping the Play-In stage.
The four leagues with only one team will all determine their qualified team on March 1, the date of their respective grand finals. On the LCK side, Gen.G have already secured their spot after their Upper Bracket Final win against BNK FearX, which earned them a place in the
LCK Cup final
in Hong Kong. The second Korean representative will be decided between Dplus KIA and BFX on February 28.
Finally, for
the LPL, the playoffs will begin on the 24th, with the grand final taking place just one week before First Stand, on March 8. However, the qualified teams will be known slightly earlier, as in the LCK, the final will determine the seeding for First Stand rather than simply crowning the champion.
