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There’s a couple of unexpected entries in this tournament and we’re curious to see how far they’ll go.
First Stand 2026 is the first major League of Legends tournament of the year but there’s already some surprising twists. Just by looking at the teams, you’ll notice that some familiar names are missing from the list.
That’s right, with big shots like T1 and Cloud9 out of the picture, it’s a whole different ball game in First Stand 2026. It’s an interesting spread of teams this year, but these are the three that we’re keeping a close eye on.
FEARX – LCK Cup 2026 Runner Up
We can’t really blame you if you’ve never heard of these guys. FEARX has gone through several rebrandings and renamings throughout their long history in the LCK. What remained consistent was that they were always a bottom-to-middle-of-the-pack team, at least until now.
What started as another mediocre finish for FEARX quickly turned into one of the craziest playoff runs in LCK history. FEARX did the unthinkable and beat reigning three-time world champions T1, 3-1, sending them into the lower bracket. T1 then lost a close five game series against Dplus, who later got swept by FEARX to send them to First Stand 2026.
One could say that FEARX is the luckiest team in the world, but you need more than luck to succeed in the LCK. This team has potential and we’re eager to see how they perform in their first ever international tournament.
LYON – LCS 2026 Lock-In Champions
Similar to FEARX, no one expected LYON to come out as the champions of the Americas region. Originally a Mexican esports organization that played in the South American leagues, LYON had mixed success for years until North and South America merged into one region. After suffering in the bottom of the standings for three splits in a row, it was time for a change.
They rebuilt the team around Mid Laner Kang “Saint” Seong-in, yet they looked to be around the same power level by the end of the regular season. Then the playoffs started and something just clicked with LYON. They took down America’s mainstays one after another, starting with FlyQuest, then Team Liquid, then Sentinels, and finally Cloud9.
In total, LYON only lost three games during their playoffs rampage. It’s a crazy jump in performance, but can they do it again in First Stand 2026?
G2 – LEC 2026 Versus Champions
Despite the turbulence happening in other leagues, G2 remains consistently the best team in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region. They had a bit of a scare in the regular season after ending in the middle at sixth place. That’s just the volatility of a best-of-one format however as they quickly rallied for the playoffs. G2 had a perfect run leading up to the grand finals, sweeping every team before them. Only Karmine Corp was able to pose any kind of resistance but even they fell to them 3-2.
Despite this impressive performance, G2 still finds themselves in a predicament. The team is forever haunted by disappointing international performances despite yearly attempts at breaking that streak. South Korea and China still remain the favorites to take First Stand 2026 but this might be G2’s best chance to finally break their curse and bring home an international trophy.
Banner image from Hara Amoros / Riot Games.
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