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Riot Games Introduces First Selection to LoL Esports 2026

Riot Games Introduces First Selection to LoL Esports 2026

League of Legends

8 Jan, 2026, 20:34

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Last updated: 13 Jan, 2026, 12:26

LoL Esports has introduced First Selection, a new rule for drafting in the upcoming LoL 2026 season, set to shake up the competitive format.

Last year, LoL Esports introduced a new drafting format, Fearless Draft, that would span all competitive regions in the 2025 season. Now, it appears that LoL Esports is set to introduce another update to the drafting format in the upcoming 2026 season through one new rule, First Selection.

Here is everything you need to know about LoL Esports’ newest First Selection, the choices teams will have, and how it changes the landscape of competitive League of Legends in 2026.

What is First Selection?

The new First Selection rule was introduced to address issues with side win rates throughout the LoL 2025 season without strengthening one side of the map over the other. A major contention point in competitive play centered on the blue side’s ability to grab highly-prioritized champions in the draft. The new changes appear to neutralize both sides by introducing First Selection’s separation of side association with the draft.

Any teams that previously earned side selection will now earn first selection, giving them a choice between two options.

Here are the following options teams with First Selection will have:

Which side to play on: Blue or Red
Pick first or second in the draft

First Selection will be available in all regions at the start of the 2026 season as Riot Games continues to sharpen its competitive format. It will be interesting to see whether the new First Selection rule will help neutralize the variance between red-side and blue-side drafting moving forward into the 2026 season.

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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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