Riot Games has unveiled the official brackets for First Stand 2026 (FST 2026), the season's kickoff international LoL tournament, as eight top teams from major regions converge on Riot Games Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, from March 16-22 for a $1 million prize pool and crucial MSI 2026 seeding.
Tournament Overview and Qualification
FST 2026 features Split 1 winners from six major leagues:
| Region | Team | Key Player |
|---|---|---|
| LCK (Korea) | Hanwha Life Esports | Zeka |
| LPL (China) | Anyone's Legend | Knight |
| LEC (EMEA) | G2 Esports | Caps |
| LCS (NA) | Team Liquid | Bwipo |
| CBLOL (Brazil) | LOUD | Robo |
| LCP (Pacific) | CTBC Flying Oyster | FoFo |
Hosted in Brazil for first time, event spotlights Fearless Draft (no repeat picks across series)—forcing innovation post-Split 1 metas.
Bracket and Schedule Breakdown
Stage 1: Group Stage (March 16-20, Bo5 Round Robin)
Teams split into two groups of 4 (seeded by league draw):
- Group A: Hanwha Life Esports vs. G2 vs. Team Liquid vs. LOUD
- Group B: Anyone's Legend vs. CTBC Flying Oyster vs. TBD LEC/LCS wildcards (brackets finalized post-draw).
Daily matches at 6:00 AM PDT / 10:00 BRT / 22:00 KST. Top 2 per group advance (tiebreakers: head-to-head, game win %).
Stage 2: Knockout Stage (March 21-22, Single-Elim Bo5)
- Semis (March 21): Group A1 vs. Group B2, Group B1 vs. Group A2.
- Grand Final (March 22): Winners battle for title; Hard Fearless Draft ensures no champ repeats.
Full live schedule on lolesports.com; Runeterra Fan Fest coincides with street activations.
Prize Pool and Stakes
$1M distributed:
| Place | Prize | Perks |
|---|
| Place | Prize | Perks |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $500,000 | MSI Bracket Stage Bye |
| 2nd | $250,000 | MSI Play-In Seed |
| 3rd | $100,000 | Region Points Boost |
| 4th | $50,000 | |
| 5th-8th | $25,000 each |
Winner skips MSI Play-Ins; strong showings net Championship Points for Worlds 2026 slots. Drops event offers in-game skins/rewards.lolesports
FST 2026 promo art: Demonic champs clashing in fiery arena with "First Stand" banner.
Broadcast and Viewing
- Platforms: LoL Esports Twitch/YouTube (multi-language, 4K), Disney+ Korea.
- Watch Parties: São Paulo fests, global regional events.
- Hype: LCK/LPL favorites vs. NA/LEC underdogs; expect Caps vs. Zeka revenge series.
