2025 GLOBAL FIRST STAND

Date
March 10 - 16, 2025
Location
LoL Park, Seoul, KR
Champion
Hanwha Life Esports

The first-ever international tournament featuring the revolutionary Fearless Draft. Five regional champions clash in Seoul to define the season's meta and claim the first international trophy of 2025.

Tournament Background

The Global First Stand marks the official start of the international competitive calendar. Designed to break the monotony of standard drafts, this tournament introduces the "Fearless Draft" system to the global stage for the first time. It serves not only as a battleground for the top teams from LPL, LCK, LEC, LTA, and LCP but also as a showcase for innovation, forcing teams to dig deep into their champion pools and adapt on the fly.

Fearless Draft Explained

What is "Fearless Draft"?

In Fearless Draft, once a champion is picked by any team in a series, it cannot be picked again for the remainder of that series. This results in a rapidly shrinking champion pool and escalating strategic complexity.

Total Bans Accumulation (BO5)

Game 1
Standard Bans
10
Fearless Bans
0
Total Unavailable
10
Game 2
Standard Bans
10
Fearless Bans
10
Total Unavailable
20
Game 3
Standard Bans
10
Fearless Bans
20
Total Unavailable
30
Game 4
Standard Bans
10
Fearless Bans
30
Total Unavailable
40
Game 5
Standard Bans
10
Fearless Bans
40
Total Unavailable
50

Key Moments: Shockwaves

TES 0-2 KC

Opener Upset

LPL Champion's "Black Opener". As the region's top seed, losing to a European team in the opener was a huge upset, starting a difficult year for TES and LPL.

TES 0-2 CFO

Super Upset

The first super upset of the year. Losing to two major wildcard regions in a row, this battle made LPL's #1 seed's international competitiveness questioned like never before.

Tournament Progression

Round Robin Stage

March 10 - 14

Single Round Robin (BO3). Top 4 advance to Knockout Stage.

1. HLE 4-0
2. CFO 3-1
3. KC 1-3
4. TES 1-3
5. TL 1-3

Semifinals

March 15

HLE (LCK)
3 - 0
(LPL) TES
KC (LEC)
3 - 2
(LCP) CFO

Grand Finals

March 16

HLE
3 : 1
KC
CHAMPION: Hanwha Life Esports

Teams

Top Esports
LPL Region
TES
Hanwha Life
LCK Region
HLE
Karmine Corp
LEC Region
KC
Team Liquid
LTA Region
TL
CTBC Flying Oyster
LCP Region
CFO

Prize Pool

Total Pool
$1,000,000
1st Place
Direct Qualification to MSI 2025
$400,000
2nd Place$200,000
3rd-4th$100,000
5th Place$50,000
FINALS MVP
ZEKA
Mid Laner • HLE

Looking Ahead: 2026

The stakes are rising. Starting from the 2026 First Stand, the tournament champion will not only claim the trophy but also secure a direct qualification spot for MSI 2026, adding a massive strategic incentive to the season opener.