TURIN — When former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué announced the creation of the Liga del Rey back in 2022, it was difficult to imagine what it could become two years later, when Brazil won the first edition of the World Cup of Nations after beating Colombia in the final played in the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
On Sunday, at the stadium where Juventus plays its home games, fans enjoyed a completely different football experience, where entertainment and football merge, creating a unique event that was followed around the world. Football legends such as 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 and innovative football format ?
It is quite obvious that the intention of Piqué and the Kings League organization is that whoever is watching is the definitive ‘king’. Everything that was done, and will be done, goes in the direction of who watches the games and follows the content creators who are part of the leagues around the world. In short, it is the exact opposite of how the world of football works, where who watches is just the last part of the chain.
From Spain to Mexico and now Italy, the concept of the Kings League is quite simple as the seven-a-side soccer tournament merges that country’s most followed content creators with the most followed sport in the world. At the same time, this visionary new tournament has the freedom to change and adapt to the needs of the audience, while the world of football is much more conservative as the rules and regulations are almost the same since the game was invented.
In the King’s League, with an estimated 40,000 fans attending the event, everything has a single focus. The games are much shorter as a game, lasting 40 minutes in two halves, and the public is also part of the rule-making process. There is a draft to select players for the teams and a transfer session but without real money involved. Additionally, there are special cards during games that teams can use in the second half, such as penalties, player eliminations, or temporarily turning games into smaller teams. It’s a way to change and explore what you can’t do in normal football.
The former president of Juventus and director of the ECA (European Club Association), Andrea Agnelli, said in 2021 before a meeting of the same association that “we have to put the fans at the center, since the current system is not made for the modern fan.” at least a third of fans follow at least two teams, while two-thirds are interested in big events; 40% of generation Z, between 16 and 24 years old, have no interest in football”, warning about a change in the situation; the rules in the face of the disastrous announcement of the Super League, which led to their resignation from the ECA.
The final was played in Turin after Kings Italia was announced in November and showed an incredible level of organization and the participation of Juventus legends such as Del Piero, Pirlo and Buffon, who returned to their stadium. Surprisingly, the real stars of the night were the streamers and content creators, who are part of the fans’ lives every day, also taking into account the average age in the stands.
It is difficult to predict what may happen in the coming months and years, but the power and potential of this project should not be underestimated, which aims directly to attract a very specific and young audience, much less interested in current events. world of football as we know it. It doesn’t mean that it will completely change or replace football, but it will definitely be a real alternative in the coming years. Without a doubt, it follows the interests and needs of its audience more and the final played in Turin is just a starting point of how great it can become.
