In 2025, Riot introduced a new structure to the League of Legends esports season, including an entirely new international event called First Stand. This is a showcase between the top teams from every region after Split 1. To keep things fresh, it will implement something called the Fearless Draft.
Riot’s structured and exciting League of Legends season has continued to grow year after year, bringing quality-produced tournament streams to fans all over the world. These streams feature the best teams duking it out for a hefty prize pool.
Looking to add First Stand to your sportsbook for the League of Legends betting community? Here’s all you need to know from the experts at Abios.
First Stand Schedule, Dates, Format
First Stand will take place on March 10 – 16th at LoL Park in Seoul, Korea. The top team from each region, based on Split 1 results, will be competing at this international tournament as a way to show their potential at the start of the season. The winning team will also earn a second bye for their region at the Mid-Season Invitational 2025, advancing directly to the Bracket Stage of the popular event.
“Right now, all eyes will be on First Stand, since it is a new international tournament,” Abios’ Esports Trading Supervisor, Gonçalo Bento, said. “It should be very exciting, as it will only have the top team of each region. And Fearless Draft is confirmed, which should be very fun and interesting to see the different picks and adaptation by region.”
First Stand will have two stages: the best-of-three Round Robin Stage and the best-of-five Knockout Stage, where the top four teams advance to a seeded, single-elimination best-of-five bracket. There will then be a final showdown to crown the First Stand champion.
Throughout the tournaments stages, teams will be using Fearless Draft, which means champions can only be picked once by either team during the series. Here’s how it will work, according to LoL Esports:
- 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)
Teams To Watch
With Stage 1 still underway in most regions, the top teams have not emerged just yet. In the end, five total teams will enter First Stand, including a team from LEC, LPL, LCK, LCP, and the newly formed LTA, which includes North and South American teams.
While not all teams have been declared just yet, Bento has a few ideas on which teams and regions to keep an eye out for. Teams from LCK and LPL are important to watch, with a history of performing exceptionally, making up almost all of the Worlds wins throughout history. Currently Hanwha Life Esports has qualified from LCK.
The LEC is another group of teams to consider, with a special note for G2 Esports if they make it through the LEC Winter Finals. Even though they had a rough start in the season, they seem to be adjusting better to the new players, and fearless draft could benefit them in a tournament like this, as they have always been known for they spicy picks.
Meanwhile, the LTA will hopefully give North American teams the boost they need to reach the performance required to keep up with the rest of the world, with Team Liquid being their champion for the First Stand.
For the most current standings, check out the Liquipedia tournament page here.
Bet Offers For First Stand
First Stand is a massive opportunity for sportsbooks to jump into the action in early 2025. By this point, the League of Legends esports scene will be heating up and the most exciting teams from each region will be starting to rise up.
Match Winner is a classic bet offer to have for fans, but Total Kills and Total Minutes are also very popular League of Legends bets that get viewers more engaged throughout the match.
Individual player performance will also be something to keep an eye on. Total Kills are almost a requirement, which allows bettors to follow their favourite pros throughout the tournament to keep an eye on their performances.
The Fearless Draft will create new betting opportunities for League of Legends fans. It adds a dynamic twist and opens up more strategies, team compositions, and player performance. For example, if a certain pro has their favourite champion banned, how will they do in the next match while playing someone completely different? Should bettors bet on someone else? This will make fans tune in and study the gameplay during each match so they can make more informative bets.
For more insight into League of Legends betting at Worlds near the end of 2024, check out our analysis of betting behaviour and statistics here.
