Riot Games Launches First Stand 2025: A New Global LoL Tournament
The inaugural First Stand 2025 has officially begun, marking Riot Games’ latest addition to the international League of Legends esports calendar. This new cross-regional competition brings together elite teams from the world’s major regions, with the opening day featuring compelling matchups between Europe and the Americas, as well as the highly anticipated Korea versus China showdown.
Day one viewership approached but remained just under 700,000 concurrent viewers, establishing First Stand as a significant new presence in the 2025 LoL esports ecosystem.
Opening Matchups Set the Tone
Korea’s Hanwha Life Esports made a strong statement in their tournament opener, securing a decisive victory against China’s Top Esports. Meanwhile, Europe’s Karmine Corp faced off against North America’s Team Liquid in a closer contest that extended to the full three maps in their best-of-three series.
The European-American clash faced timing challenges that likely impacted its audience numbers. With the match scheduled during early morning hours for European viewers and overnight for American fans, potential viewership was naturally constrained. Despite these scheduling hurdles, Karmine Corp’s French-language broadcast performed remarkably well, drawing audience numbers comparable to the international English stream.
Venue and Schedule Considerations
Hosted at the LoL Park in Seoul, South Korea, the tournament schedule inevitably presents viewing challenges for Western audiences. Nevertheless, First Stand’s opening day has already positioned it among the most-watched League of Legends competitions of 2025 thus far, with several key matchups still to come.
Tournament Format and Future Outlook
The Round Robin stage continues through March 14, after which the top four performing teams will advance to the Knockout Stage. The weekend playoffs culminate with the grand finals on March 16, which analysts expect could become one of the year’s most-viewed League of Legends broadcasts.
Particular attention will focus on the March 13 matchup between Karmine Corp and Hanwha Life Esports, potentially the most popular group stage contest. With current viewership trends, First Stand 2025 appears well-positioned to surpass the milestone of 1,000,000 peak concurrent viewers before the tournament concludes.