From March 10 to 16, Seoul, South Korea, will host the inaugural edition of Riot Games' new international tournament, First Stand. Its format closely resembles the early versions of the Mid-Season Invitational, with a single slot per major region reserved for the champions of the five leagues (LEC, LTA, LCK, LPL, LCP). Three teams secured their qualification on Sunday, February 23.
Hanwha Life Esports claimed the LCK Cup, successfully defending its Summer 2024 title.
Shortly after,
CTBC Flying Oyster earned its place by winning the first split in LCP history. Meanwhile,
Team Liquid swept 100 Thieves 3-0 in the LTA Cross Conference final, ensuring North America's representation at the event. The next team to qualify has been the Chinese champion, Top Esports, on March 1, while the LEC Winter Split winner, Karmine Corp, has been crown on March 2. Follow the updated list of participants in this article.
The First Stand will be structured in two phases. The tournament will begin with a Round Robin Stage, where each team will compete against the other four in a best-of-three format. At the end of this phase, only the lowest-ranked team will be eliminated, while the remaining four will advance to the Knockout Stage.
In the first round of the bracket, the top seed from the Round Robin Stage will face the fourth seed, while the second and third seeds will go head-to-head. The Knockout Stage will follow a single-elimination format, with all matches played as best-of-five. The entire tournament will be conducted using the
Hard Fearless Draft format.
