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The Kings League, a seven-a-side football league in Spain established in 2022, is causing quite a stir on social media thanks to its introduction of an innovative new soccer format. The league was created by former Barcelona center-back Gerard Piqué, who teamed up with 12 leading Spanish-speaking content creators, such as Ibai Llanos, to create an interactive tournament that is open to the public and features very different rules from traditional soccer.
The competition is played on an artificial turf soccer field with six players per team, and matches are broadcast on platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok. A female version is soon to be launched under the name Queens League.
Bienvenidos al circo de la @KingsLeague! ? La bomba que se viene el próximo domingo es una cosa de locos. Tic tac, tic tac. ?
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) January 9, 2023
«A project where you can access the changing rooms, see how the players speak, how the owners negotiate transfers, actively participate, make it accessible», Piqué announced months ago when the league kicked off through a live stream on Twitch. «We believe that it is a wonderful sport that, due to the way it is governed, is difficult to change the rules. We can be very flexible and adapt it to what people want», he added.
The Kings League teams are headed by well-known content creators or former players, such as Manchester City's all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero and former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
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⚽️ @DjMaRiiO #KingsLeagueF4 pic.twitter.com/o0U4zFnPOG— Terreno Viral (@terrenoviral) March 26, 2023
The Kings League World Cup consists of 16 teams with 10 players each, 7 on the field and 3 substitutes. The league features unique rules that were voted on via social media. In the event of a tie, the winner is determined by a penalty shootout from the center of the field. The offside rule applies, side kicks are executed by hand, and there are unlimited player substitutions. Yellow cards result in a two-minute exclusion, while red cards mean a five-minute exclusion. At the start of the match, players race from the goal line to the ball in the center of the field, with jersey numbers ranging from 0 to 99.
Proponemos añadir una nueva arma secreta ✉️: penaltis en carrera desde el centro del campo, para dar más espectáculo.
— Kings League InfoJobs Spain (@KingsLeague) January 6, 2023
¡Voten!
The match is played in two 20-minute halves, and before each match, teams choose one of five secret, one-time-use golden cards. These include an instant penalty, a two-minute exclusion of a player from the opposing team (except the goalkeeper), a two-minute doubling of goals, a «joker» card (any of these cards), or the ability to steal a card from the opposing team. Teams have one chance to use the VAR, and if it fails, they cannot request it again. After goals, fireworks are set off behind the goal.
Previously, matches for the tournament were held at the beginning of 2023 at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium in front of a huge crowd. The first edition of the Kings League World Cup is currently taking place in the Italian cities of Turin and Milan. Morocco is participating alongside 13 other countries, with the title set to be decided on Sunday, January 12, at the Allianz Arena in Turin, the stronghold of Juventus.
¿Dónde están los que dudaban del Corona de Oro? ?#KingsWorldCupNations pic.twitter.com/kjQRI53UWJ
— Kings League InfoJobs Spain (@KingsLeague) January 4, 2025
The Moroccan national team qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition after defeating Japan by four goals to two on Monday and will face the United States in the next match.
