Organizer
Tournament edition
First Stand 2025
The inaugural First Stand Tournament took place at LoL Park in Seoul from March 10–16, 2025. Hanwha Life Esports defeated Karmine Corp 3–1 in the final.
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Updated October 28, 2026Competition snapshot
Host and dates
LoL Park, Seoul, South Korea · Mar 10–16, 2025
Champion
Combined prize pool
USD 1,000,000[4]
Games
Participant scale
5 teams from five regions[1]
CategoryPartnerCommercial note
Category
Organizer
Partner
Riot GamesCommercial note
Tournament organizer · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
Opera GXCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · FST Co-Streamer Hub · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Technology Partner
Partner
Amazon Web ServicesCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Global Power Rankings powered by AWS · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
CiscoCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
HyperXCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
MastercardCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · First Stand ticket presale for cardholders · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[6]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
Mercedes-BenzCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
OMENCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
OPPOCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
Red BullCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
SecretlabCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
VerizonCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Category
Official Partner
Partner
Esports World CupCommercial note
2025 global LoL Esports partner · Recorded in the 2025 edition.[1]
Reach & distribution
Overview
The inaugural First Stand Tournament brought together five regional champions at LoL Park in Seoul from March 10–16, 2025. Riot’s format used a best-of-three round robin followed by a seeded, single-elimination best-of-five bracket for the top four teams.[1]
Hanwha Life Esports won the first title, defeating Karmine Corp 3–1 in the final. The other participants were Top Esports, Team Liquid and CTBC Flying Oyster. Riot’s official guide also documented an Opera GX-powered Co-Streamer Hub.[1][2]
Riot identified 12 partners supporting LoL Esports during the 2025 season, while noting several event-connected activations: AWS powered the Global Power Rankings, Opera GX powered the Co-Streamer Hub and Mastercard cardholders received ticket presale access. The primer does not describe the season partners as First Stand-exclusive sponsors.[1][6]
Esports Charts reported 18 million hours watched across the tournament and a 1.1 million peak during the Grand Final. These are separate measures of total viewing time and concurrent audience.[5]
References6
- [1]FST 2025 Primer — LoL Esports / Riot Games
- [2]Hanwha Life Esports crowned 2025 First Stand Tournament champion — The Korea Herald
- [3]2025 First Stand Tournament — Liquipedia
- [4]2025 First Stand Tournament Ruleset vFinal EN — Riot Games / LoL Esports
- [5]First Stand 2025 viewership: Teething pains for LoL's newest global event — Esports Charts
- [6]First Stand Tournament Ticket Sales — LoL Esports / Riot Games
Commercial opportunities
2025 LoL Esports global partners
Riot named AWS, Cisco, HyperX, Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, OMEN, Opera GX, OPPO, Red Bull, Secretlab, Verizon and Esports World Cup as global LoL Esports partners supporting the 2025 season. Riot did not describe each as a First Stand-exclusive sponsor.[1]
Global Power Rankings
Riot said the Global Power Rankings were powered by AWS, with daily updates during First Stand.[1]
Mastercard ticket presale
Mastercard cardholders received a presale window for First Stand tickets before general sales.[6]
Co-Streamer Hub
Riot's official event guide identified the co-streaming hub as powered by Opera GX.[1]
Tournament schedule
- Grand Final
Hanwha Life Esports wins the inaugural First Stand
Hanwha Life Esports defeated Karmine Corp 3–1 in the final.
- Knockout Stage
First Stand knockout stage
The top four teams advanced to a seeded, single-elimination best-of-five bracket.
- Round Robin
First Stand's inaugural edition begins
The five-team round robin began at LoL Park; each series was best-of-three.
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