What is the Kings League? Rules, teams, format, star players and how to watch Gerard Pique 7-a-side tournament
Gerard Pique’s retirement from Barcelona hasn’t spelled the end of his involvement in football as the former defender founded the Kings League at the end of 2022.
Pique’s final years at the Camp Nou were divided between a waning impact on the pitch and a growth in investments and business projects before finally hanging up his boots.
The Kings League is the latest collaboration between Pique and his friend – and Twitch streamer – Ibai Llanos to create a new concept that brings together amateur, pro and former star players.
The league’s popularity has been growing rapidly, with an estimated 1.3 million online views of games in early 2023, with Pique promising further changes in the coming months.
MORE: Ronaldinho’s son joins Barcelona: who is Joao de Assis Moreira?
What is the Kings League? Rules, teams, format
The Kings League is a 7v7 football competition. It is divided into two mini-seasons, the Summer Split and the Winter Split, in which 12 teams play each other once, with the top eight from each split advancing to the playoffs.
Each game consists of two 20-minute halves, with all ties being decided by a penalty shoot-out, with six games all played on the same day.
Teams are made up of 10 players, with seven starters plus two additional roster spots for “guest players” who may include streamers or former pro stars.
Alongside the established rules of Pique and Llanos, social media fans are also allowed to vote on new rules, including some bold additions.
These included the penalty shootout rule, as well as allowing handballs for throw-ins, unlimited substitutions and sinbins for yellow and red cards.
The latest rule adopted by fans is the introduction of two “secret weapons” per team in each game, allowing a penalty kick in their favor, banning an opposing player for two minutes, goals counting double for two minutes, or the opportunity to do so stealing the opposition’s “secret weapon”.
Kings League: Who are the star guest players?
The rule of appointing an 11th or 12th player on a team has been the main focus of Kings League so far, with the 11th required to stay on the team for the entire season while the 12th can be a rotating option.
Player 12 has included some flashy former Superstars, with team owners/managers relying on their contact list to call on retired and famous names to increase their chances.
Sergio Agueros Kunisports have profiled the former Barcelona and Manchester City forward alongside his old Argentinian colleague Javier Saviola and Llanos’ Porcinos FC, including Mexico international Javier Hernandez and Espanyol great Raul Tamudo.
Spain’s 2010 World Cup captain Iker Casillas is the owner and star name of 1K FC, with the former goalkeeper alluding to some ex-teammates preparing to join him.
However, the excitement has picked up a gear in recent weeks as Llanos convinced former Barcelona star and 2002 world champion Ronaldinho to join.
The 42-year-old has retired from football since 2015 but accepted Llanos’ invitation to take part on the strict condition that he would not have to walk!
Due to Ronaldinho’s incredible ability to tear apart defences, Llanos agreed to his humorous request, with the former playmaker losing on penalties to PIO FC on his debut.
Kings League Ranking 2023
Below are the latest standings for the Kings League 2023 as of March 10, 2023.
| games played | scored goals | goal difference | Points | ||
| 1. | Saiyans FC | 9 | 19 | +8 | 21 |
| 2. | Ultimate mustoles | 9 | 29 | +7 | 21 |
| 3. | Porcinos FC | 9 | 31 | +9 | 18 |
| 4. | Kunisports | 9 | 18 | -1 | 18 |
| 5. | El Barrio | 9 | 29 | +11 | 15 |
| 6. | Los Tronco | 9 | 29 | -1 | 15 |
| 7. | Xbuyer team | 9 | 21 | -2 | 12 |
| 8th. | 1K FC | 9 | 28 | -2 | 12 |
| 9. | aniquiladors | 9 | 23 | -4 | 12 |
| 10 | Pio FC | 9 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| 11. | Rayo of Barcelona | 9 | 23 | -7 | 9 |
| 12. | Jijantes FC | 9 | 17 | -18 | 0 |
How to watch Kings League 2023
The Kings League can be followed live streamed for free for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Fans can watch matches via the Kings League’s official Twitch channel, alongside options on YouTube and TikTok, and certain team owners offer live broadcasts on their individual social media channels.