Former footballer Gerard Pique watches the sport. Photograph: REUTERS
SAU PAULO:
The Gerard Pique-founded Kings League is planning a U.S. launch in 2026 however its quick growth won’t cease there because it expects to enter extra world markets and doubtlessly licence the format, the previous Spain and Barcelona participant has advised Reuters.
The seven-a-side league created by Pique in 2022 blends soccer with video-game options together with shorter matches, customised guidelines, heavy viewers interplay and social-media personalities as central figures in its groups and occasions.
It expanded shortly from Spain to Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, the place it’s internet hosting its model of the World Cup this month. The precedence now, Pique mentioned, is to consolidate the viewers base whereas opening new markets.
Whereas a rollout in america is anticipated this 12 months, the previous defender mentioned the league would tread fastidiously in a rustic the place soccer isn’t the dominant sport.
“There might be completely different challenges, and that is why we need to take our time to essentially suppose very fastidiously about what’s one of the best ways to do it,” he mentioned in an interview in Sao Paulo on Friday.
Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua famous that the U.S. model will probably require a bigger leisure element on prime of the league’s base product.
“It is not solely the truth that soccer might be the quantity 4 or 5 sport within the nation, but additionally that it is the climax of sports activities leisure tradition,” Agaoua mentioned. “We most likely have to take a position a bit extra in that.”
Past the U.S., Pique talked about robust curiosity from the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, South Korea and Japan plus a number of South American markets similar to Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
Future growth may contain licensing the format.
“There are such a lot of international locations proper now that we need to deliver the product and now we have to discover a manner. We can not handle 30, 40 leagues as a result of it will be a nightmare for us as an organization. So the concept perhaps is to attempt to licence the product,” he mentioned.
The Kings World Cup Nations is anticipated to attract some 40,000 followers to Saturday’s remaining between Brazil and Chile at Sao Paulo’s Allianz Parque stadium.
The league can be exploring the potential of finally increasing into different sports activities. Agaoua cited basketball, tennis and preventing as potential examples. “There are many actions the place our recipe may work,” he mentioned.
