Kings League’s success explained: How Gerard Pique’s project has become a popular new style of soccer

TURIN — When former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique announced the creation of the Kings League back in 2022, it was difficult to imagine what it could become two years later as Brazil won the first edition of the World Cup Nations after beating Colombia in the final played at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.

On Sunday, in the stadium where Juventus play their home matches, fans were treated to a completely different soccer experience, where entertainment and soccer merge together, creating a unique event that was followed worldwide. Soccer legends like Alessandro Del Piero, Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo played alongside social media creators and streamers in front of a different and much younger audience, but how can we explain the success of this new innovative soccer format? 

It’s quite obvious that the intention of Pique and the organization of the Kings League is that whoever is watching is the ultimate ‘king,’ Everything that was done, and will be done, goes in the direction of who is watching the games and follows the content creators that are part of the leagues around the world. In short, it’s the exact opposite of how the soccer world works, where who is watching is just the last part of the chain. 

From Spain to Mexico and now Italy, the concept of the Kings League is pretty simple as the seven-a-side soccer tournament merges the most followed content creators of that country with the most followed sport in the world. At the same time, this new visionary tournament has the freedom to change and adapt to the needs of the audience, while the world of soccer is much more conservative as rules and regulations are almost the same since the game was invented. 

In the Kings League, which estimated 40,000 fans at the event, everything is has a unique approach. Games are much shorter as a game, lasting 40 minutes across two halves, and the audience is also part of the process of making the rules. There is a draft to select players for the teams and a transfer session but with no real money involved. Also, there are special cards during the games that the teams can use in the second half like penalties, player removals, or temporarily turning the games into smaller sides. It’s a way to change and explore what can’t be done in normal soccer. 

Former Juventus chairman and head of the ECA (European Club Association) Andrea Agnelli said in 2021 before a meeting of the same association that “we need to put the fans at the center as the current system is not made for modern fans. Research says that at least a third of the fans follow at least two teams while two-thirds are interested in big events; 40% of the 16-to-24 age group, Generation Z, have no interest in football today,” warning for a change in the rules before the disastrous announcement of the Super League, that led to his resignation from the ECA.