First Stand 2026 witnesses a special event in the League of Legends community
In just a few days, the final matches of the early-year tournaments in major regions of professional League of Legends will officially conclude. Currently, only the LPL region has yet to determine the final two representatives who will participate in First Stand 2026. However, the names that have to be eliminated from this year’s international tournament have been confirmed. The community has also discovered something very special: all five teams that participated in last year’s inaugural First Stand have officially “stayed home” this year.
The first name to bid farewell to First Stand 2026, thus officially becoming a “former champion,” is HLE – the representative of the LCK. Following them are CFO, Team Liquid, and Karmine Corp, with the last team on this list to stay home being TES after their 2-3 defeat against WBG in the match on March 2nd (Vietnam time). Notably, despite being eliminated in various ways, the common factor is that all five teams have undergone significant roster changes compared to the previous season and have failed to maintain their strength.
At the same time, this also makes First Stand 2026 the most special tournament in League of Legends history as it is the first time an international tournament has seen all representatives from the previous season absent in the following season. Of course, to make this milestone a reality, one factor that cannot be overlooked is that last year’s inaugural First Stand had very few representatives participating.
But it also promises an even more exciting First Stand
The absence of any representatives from the previous season, combined with the increase in the number of representatives from major regions (LCK/LPL), will see First Stand 2026 continue to improve the tournament. This will contribute to making the tournament even more appealing while enhancing the professional quality, as the teams involved are certainly the most deserving in their respective regions.