First Stand Tournament 2026 Takes Place in Brazil

The First Stand Tournament 2026 will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from March 16 to 22. Eight of the world’s most accomplished teams will battle for the first major title of the season.

The Tournament That Has Grown Into an International Giant

Heading into its second year, the League of Legends event First Stand Tournament introduces several significant structural changes. At the center of this year’s upgrades is the ambition to become an even bigger and more competitive international showdown. The tournament has moved to São Paulo, and esports fans will be able to follow every match on Paf.com, complete with continuous updates on both stats and odds.

The tournament has already established itself as a natural early-season highlight, and next year’s edition makes that even clearer: the number of participating teams increases from five to eight, and every match will be played as a BO5 series. This adjustment creates a more demanding competitive format where each matchup matters more, giving strong early-season teams a chance to seize momentum for the rest of the year.

Some matches will take place in the Riot Games Arena – a modern, purpose-built esports venue designed to give both fans and players the best possible experience. The arena serves as a hub for international competitions and is a recurring stage for Riot Games’ various tournament seasons.

Fearless Draft Is Here to Stay

In 2025, the tournament featured five teams competing across two stages, with a BO3 round-robin followed by a BO5 playoff bracket. For next year’s edition, eight teams will compete exclusively in the BO5 series.

Just like last year, Fearless Draft remains one of the tournament’s most talked-about innovations. In this system, every champion played in a BO5 series becomes banned for the rest of the match. This means the number of banned champions escalates from 10 in game 1 to an incredible 50 bans if the series reaches game 5.

This forces teams into far more creative strategies, preventing anyone from leaning on their usual comfort picks. Fearless Draft quickly became a fan favorite when it was introduced, and it is expected to develop into an even more defining element of early-season international play.

Game 1: 10 bans
Game 2: 20 bans
Game 3: 30 bans
Game 4: 40 bans
Game 5: 50 bans

This champion list at Wild Rift will keep you updated throughout the League of Legends’ season on which picks are currently dominating the meta.