I went to Mexico City to discover a competition that is based on the meeting of sports and streamers
Combining the world’s most popular sport with digital, riding the social media wave. This is the brief summary of the Kings League, a seven-a-side football tournament devoted to gamification in which a streamer chairs each team. This is the hallmark of the competition, which was devised by former Barcelona player Gerard Piqué and Ibai Llanos, the most followed streamer in Spain, with over 15 million followers.
The rules of the game, which can be changed according to users’ opinions, only partly correspond to those of traditional football, as many elements change many elements change the match’s course and leave the score uncertain to keep the spectators’ attention. Besides, sport is not the main focus here because the Kings League is, above all, entertainment and the proof is in the following of the streamers, which catalyse the audience after having engaged users to the sound of live streams on Twitch, creating a community of fans for their favourite, regardless of the activity.
Football Legends and Twitch, the mix that captures interest
I realised this in Mexico City, where I watched the Kings World Cup, the tournament’s first edition that puts $1 million at stake for the winners. 32 teams are participating, enriched by the presence of football legends. Certainly, Francesco Totti and Eden Hazard were supported by the fans present on the steps of the arena built for the occasion at Quarry Studios. Screams, runs and requests for selfies were plenty, however, for the Spanish and local streamers, already known to the public after the first season of the Kings League played in 2023 in Spain and the Americas.
The secret cards each team can play during the competition (two twenty-minute halves) highlight the intuition of combining football and video games. They range from the penalty in favour to the time exclusion of an opponent, from the goal that counts double to the possibility of playing a 1-on-1 to exploit the talent of the best player. Streamers follow the match from seats above the bench or home, narrating the game on their Twitch channel and appearing on either side of the pitch so that on-site and online viewers can follow the commentary and reactions after goals, saves, missed chances and referee decisions.
Kings League
Aiming at streamers and influencers has ensured the competition an excellent following since its inception. The proof was the beyond-expectation numbers obtained in terms of visibility during the very first days of the season in Spain, culminating with the 92,522 spectators who filled Barcelona’s Camp Nou in March last year for the Final Four of the Spanish Kings League. A success also online, where the event’s platforms registered an average of 1.4 million users. From there, it was inevitable to go down, as happened on the next occasion at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium (57,326 spectators), also because with time, the novelty effect wears off and the curiosity to see players at work who have become partly popular thanks to their presidents-streamed.
There is another card that the Kings League has studied in order to secure media exposure and broaden the target audience of fans: targeting former professional football stars. From France’s Samir Nasri to Belgium’s Radja Nainggolan and Brazil’s Falcao, as well as the aforementioned Totti and Hazard, the list of those present in Mexico is a long one, also because other stars such as Argentina’s Kun Aguero led their team without taking the field, while Germany’s Mario Götze followed the match via a live link-up from home.
60 million to spread the brand
The entertainment version of football, designed to appeal to young people bored by watching 90-minute matches that are often emotionless, is finding supporters internationally. Proof of this are the sponsors that allow Kosmos, the company run by Piqué, to organise the events in different parts of the world. Companies such as Spotify, McDonald’s, Xiaomi and many other brands linked to the host country put up the money to satisfy all parties. Also, betting on the fledgling Kings League are venture capital companies: the latest was Left Lane Capital, which, along with Filip, are the biggest investors in the €60 million round closed by Kosmos to internationalise the Kings League.
During the World Cup in Mexico, the start of the Kings League in Italy (October 2024) was announced, while the next stages will be Germany, Brazil, the UK, France and the USA. Piqué’s idea is to have eight leagues and regularly plan the World Cup with editions to be played in Europe, South America and North America. ‘We offer young what they want: sport, play and fun. We are open to change and the latest investment we have received is recognition of the impact and potential of the Kings League,’ said the former Barcelona defender. Having spoken to him several times, I know that he has several cards to play, with the backup in case the interest in the under-30s in football created for the use of social media runs out.
