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How First Stand fits into LoL’s pro season structure
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Hamza Rashid
Gamer
03 Feb 2026
Updated On
The League of Legends [1] competitive scene continues to grow and evolve with the game. To account for the growing number of playable champions, professional players are expected to go with the fearless draft system, for example. That isn’t all, since there are changes in the actual tournament structures too.
The biggest change has been the addition of First Stand. First Stand is League of Legends' newest international tournament, designed to kick off the global competitive year. Introduced as part of Riot’s revamped three-split season format, First Stand takes place in March and only one team per major region qualifies.
If this is your first time hearing about this tournament, worry not, because we’re here to explain how it ties into the League of Legends pro season structure.
What is the League of Legends tournament First Stand?
First Stand is an international tournament held in March, right after the conclusion of each region’s Split 1 playoffs. The winning team from each major region (five in total) earns a spot. While MSI and Worlds include runners-up and third-place finishers, First Stand is more exclusive. Only one team per region qualifies, based solely on Split 1 results.
The tournament itself features a full-rotation phase followed by knockout playoffs. Matches are played as best-of-threes in the full rotation, with the top four teams advancing to best-of-five semifinals and finals. Riot also uses a unique drafting system called Fearless Draft, where champions picked in earlier games of a series can’t be used again. This adds variety and emphasizes team versatility.
From a structural standpoint, First Stand is more than just a bonus tournament. It’s a key part of the season’s pacing. It aligns perfectly with Riot’s goal of making League of Legends esports a globally connected experience year-round. Moreover, the tournament provides continuity between regional and international stages, high-stakes gameplay early in the season, and motivates teams to take Split 1 seriously.
By positioning First Stand after Split 1 and tying it directly to MSI’s tournament placement, Riot has created a structure where no part of the season feels like downtime. This system keeps fans engaged, pushes teams to perform early, and makes the road to the Worlds more competitive.
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How many professional splits are in League of Legends?
To understand how First Stand fits, first, you need to look at how the 2025 LoL season is now structured. Riot moved from a two-split system to a three-split competitive calendar, with each regional league (like the LCK, LPL, LEC, etc) dividing their year into Split 1, Split 2, and Split 3. Each of these splits leads to a different stage of international competition.
Split 1: Qualifies teams for First Stand
Split 2: Determines representatives for Mid-Season Invitational (MSI)
Split 3: Used for World Championship (Worlds) qualification
This new format allows each part of the season to feed directly into a major event, where First Stand comes in. It serves as the first international checkpoint of the year, immediately following Split 1.
Where does First Stand fit in the professional LoL season?
First Stand marks the first clash between regional champions and international competition each season. It’s the first time teams go global after their local Split 1 campaigns. Beyond the hype, First Stand delivers real consequences for the season ahead.
The tournament sets the stage for MSI, which takes place after Split 2. The region that wins First Stand earns a seeding advantage at MSI. Their second-place team (from Split 2) skips the play-in stage and goes directly into the main MSI bracket. That makes First Stand not just a proving ground, but a strategic advantage for any region looking to dominate internationally throughout the season.
How does it balance the season?
Before 2025, there was a long stretch between spring playoffs and MSI, with no global matches to bridge the gap. This made the season feel unbalanced, with the biggest international moments packed into the back half of the year. First Stand fixes that.
This timeline ensures each split connects to an international event, giving fans meaningful matches year-round. First Stand completes the loop by making Split 1 as impactful as the others. It also gives teams more global exposure earlier in the year, letting rosters adapt and evolve well before Worlds.
First Stand is a new LoL international tournament held in March after Split 1 playoffs. Only the winning team from each major region qualifies. It uses a unique Fearless Draft system.
The region that wins First Stand earns a seeding advantage at MSI! Their second-place team (from Split 2) skips the play-in stage and goes directly into the main MSI bracket.
Fearless Draft is a unique drafting system used in First Stand. Champions picked in earlier games of a series can’t be used again, adding variety and emphasizing team versatility.
There are now three splits in the LoL professional season: Split 1, Split 2, and Split 3. Split 1 qualifies teams for First Stand, Split 2 for MSI, and Split 3 for Worlds.
First Stand always takes place in March, right after the conclusion of each region’s Split 1 playoffs. It kicks off the global competitive year for League of Legends.
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