Everything you need to know about FST 2025 Primer

What is the First Stand Tournament?

The First Stand Tournament kicks off the annual LoL Esports season, bringing together the top team from each region for high-stakes, early-season competition. Designed to spark regional rivalries and showcase innovative strategies, First Stand sets the tone for the year ahead in LoL Esports. Teams battle not only for the coveted First Stand trophy, but also for advantageous seeding for their region at the Mid-Season Invitational.

Forge a new path to victory; whether it be through brute force, elite mental, sheer creativity or deft mechanics. This is your chance to find the joy of invention and show the world, and yourself, what you've got.

When and Where is FST happening?

The inaugural First Stand Tournament will take place from March 10-16 at LoL Park in Seoul, Korea. If you're joining us in person at the event, please check out the Riot Games event policy.

Round Robin Stage (March 10-14): 17:00 KST / 01:00 PDT / 09:00 CET
Knockout Stage (March 15): 13:00 KST / 21:00 (March 14) PDT / 05:00 CET
Knockout Stage - Finals (March 16): 17:00 KST / 01:00 PDT / 09:00 CET

Which teams are competing?

The top team from each region secures their ticket to FST 2025:

CHINA - LPL

Qualifies March 1

KOREA - LCK

Hanwha Life Esports (HLE)

EUROPE - LEC

Qualifies March 2

AMERICAS - LTA

Team Liquid Honda (TL)

APAC - LCP

CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO)

What's the format?

First Stand consists of two stages: the Bo3 Round Robin Stage, where teams compete in a single best-of-three (Bo3) round-robin format, and the Bo5 Knockout Stage, where the top four teams advance to a seeded, single-elimination best-of-five (Bo5) bracket.

Round Robin Stage (March 10-14)

In the Round Robin Stage, each team competes in a single best-of-three (Bo3) series against every other team, ensuring a fair and comprehensive competition. Game 1 side selection for each series is randomly pre-determined, guaranteeing that every team has side selection advantage in two series while the other two series do not include this benefit. At the end of this stage, the fifth-place team is eliminated, while the top four teams advance to the Knockout Stage.

Knockout Stage (March 15-16)

The top four teams from the Round Robin advance to a single-elimination best-of-five (Bo5) bracket, with matchups determined by Round Robin results: 1st place faces 4th place, and 2nd place faces 3rd place. The winners of these matchups progress through the bracket, culminating in a final showdown on March 16 to crown the First Stand champion.

Fearless Draft

In Fearless Draft, any champions used in previous games of a best-of-series become unavailable for both teams in subsequent games, regardless of which team selected them. This results in an additional set of bans known as "Fearless Bans." The standard 10 bans from the pick/ban phase ("Standard Bans") remain in place for every game.

Here's how it works:

Game 1: 10 Standard Bans
Game 2: 20 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 10 Fearless Bans)
Game 3: 30 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 20 Fearless Bans)
Game 4: 40 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 30 Fearless Bans)
Game 5: 50 bans total (10 Standard Bans + 40 Fearless Bans)
This format challenges teams to adapt continuously, bringing fresh strategies and champion picks to every game.

Drops, Watch Experience, and Co-Streaming

By tuning in to every match live on LoLEsports.com and logging in with your Riot ID, you can unlock exciting Drops throughout FST! To kick things off, every Pentakill and Baron steal throughout the week will reward viewers with a 2025 Esports Capsule. Additionally, any series that goes to five games during the knockout stage will also reward a 2025 Esports Capsule.

And don't miss the Finals on March 16—watch live to claim an exclusive First Stand Brand emote, fittingly named “I Am FUMING”! Tune in throughout all of First Stand for an opportunity to receive these rewards.

Speaking of watching, we are excited to introduce a new Heads-Up Display (HUD), designed to modernize our presentation and lay the foundation for future innovations. This update allows us to push the boundaries of game augmentation, collaboration, and sustainability while improving the overall experience for both dedicated fans and new audiences.