League of Legends First Stand opening match shows promising viewership

The opening match of League of Legends’ First Stand concluded with strong viewership following Team Liquid‘s surprise win over Karmine Corp.

The inaugural global tournament for the LoL is shaping up to be yet another triumph for one of the top esports games of 2025.

Team Liquid secured a 2-1 victory against Karmine Corp in the first match of League of Legends First Stand on March 10th, 2025.

According to reports by Esports Charts, the four-hour-long live stream attracted a peak viewership of over 700,000, with an average viewership of 400,000.

First Stand pits the best teams of EU and NA against one another in a rivalry as old as the game itself. With a $1m total prize pool, winning can also serve as a stepping stone for teams to qualify for other major tournaments, such as the Esports World Cup.

It’s been a promising start for the North American team, having previously beat 100 Thieves in LTA 2025 Cross Conference. Though they were able to secure the win, it wasn’t without struggle.

Team Liquid secured a lead in the first round, before being overwhelmed in the second. A close struggle in the third round ultimately saw Karmine Corp falling short.

In a debrief after the first match Team Liquid League of Legends coach, Jake ‘Spawn’ Tiberi, said: “I’m actually happy Game 2 happened, because Game 2 shows that we actually have to follow the game plan.

“There’s a reason we scout our opponents, there’s a reason we pick the champions we pick. So Game 2 when we just completely threw out the game plan and just freestyle played the game, we got rolled.”

For this match, Team Liquid banned Viktor, Rumble, Yone and Kalista, while Karmine Corp consistently shut down Ziggs, Draven and Taliyah.

In a post on X, Caliste ‘Caliste‘ Henry-Hennebert, French bot laner for Karmine Corp, said: “A bit disappointed to have lost. But it’s okay, it’s our first time on the international stage for Vladi and me.

“We arrived about three days ago, we haven’t had much time for scrims. There’s also been a lot of content, so we’re a bit tired. But that’s just an excuse, we could [have] totally win today.

“I think we [kind of] choked under the pressure, but it happens. Tomorrow we’re facing CFO, It’s an important match, and it should go well.”