What is the King’s World Cup?
You will no doubt be aware that Euro 2024 will light up the summer months, but did you know this is also a World Cup year? The eleven-a-side outfits may have to wait until 2026 to strut their stuff on the global stage in North America, but the wait is almost over for the seven-a-side stars of the Kings League.
What is the Kings League?
UK fans may have little experience of this innovative footballing concept introduced in Spain by Gerard Pique in 2023. However, a few years from now, we suspect everyone will know all about this all-action creation. Simply put, the Kings League is the fastest-growing football league in the world – already pulling in more viewers than some La Liga fixtures in its homeland and not far off being the most-watched competition in the world, with over 80m hours of streamed footage on social media.
Graced by legends of the game, such as Ronaldinho, Sergio Aguero, and Andriy Shevchenko, and propelled by a selection of the most popular social media stars on the planet, you may not have heard of the Kings League yet, but chances are you soon will.
For the uninitiated, Kings League fixtures consist of two 20-minute halves and present a spectacle a few steps removed from your standard 90-minute contest. Expect masked players, ice-hockey style shootouts as players converge on goal from the halfway line, pitches painted black and secret weapon cards such as goals counting double for a four-minute period and the banishment of opposing players to the sidelines, and no draws, definitely no draws. That shortlist only scratches the surface of this Generation Z success story - our Kings League Guide explains more.
What is the Kings World Cup?
Having already expanded into the Americas, with plans to move into France, Italy, England, Germany and beyond, 2024 sees the next step in the evolution of this intriguing format with the inaugural edition of the Kings League World Cup. 32 sides head to Mexico, consisting of 10 Teams from the Kings League, 10 from the Americas Kings League, and 12 from future international versions of the Kings League.
When Does the Tournament Take Place?
The tournament kicks off on Sunday 26th of May, with the final set to take place at the spectacular Estadio BBVA home of C.F. Monterrey on Saturday 8th of June – an inspired spot of scheduling by the organisers, falling between the end of the major European domestic leagues and the start of Euro 2024 on Friday 14th June.
Which Teams Are Playing?
Each Kings League team has a former footballing star or a social media titan as its president and consists of a squad of 10 players, plus additional guest players. You are unlikely to have heard of too many members of the core 10-man squads – predominantly harvested from lower-level local leagues – but you will certainly recognise some of the names amongst the club presidents and guest players.
Final playoffs will determine the last two teams to make the tournament, but the 30 confirmed sides, together with their president and standout guest players, are as follows. Check out some of the names amongst the International sides!
Kings League Sides
Americas Kings League Sides
International Sides
What is the Tournament Format?
The Kings League World Cup will follow what is known as the Swiss Format of knockout competition, which runs as follows:
- All 32 teams play a single match following a random draw
- All 32 teams progress to the second round, with the winning teams making up a Winners Bracket and the losers making up a Losers Bracket
- The 16 sides from the Winner's Bracket are randomly drawn against one another. The eight winners from these games automatically qualify for the knockout phase
- The 16 sides from the Loser's Bracket are randomly drawn against one another. The eight losers from these games are eliminated from the competition
- Next, the eight losing sides from the Winners Bracket are drawn against the eight winning sides from the Losers Bracket. The eight winners of these games join the eight winners from the Winners Bracker to make up a final 16
- The tournament then follows the familiar Last 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Final format
Can I Bet on the Kings League World Cup?
With star names such as Iker Casillas, Francesco Totti, Neymar, Andriy Shevchenko, Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard, Samir Nasri, and Rio Ferdinand involved and an expected global audience in the millions, you can bet that the bookmakers have noticed the Kings League World Cup. Whilst not yet as widespread as the odds for the major betting leagues, that seems sure to change, with 10Bet and Betway among the firms already on the Kings League bandwagon.
Top 20 Betting Offers
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply. |
|||||
New Customers Only. Sign up with bonus code: EB20. Bet £20 and get £20 in Free Bets. Paid as £5 Free Bet on Soccer, £5 Free Bet on Horse Racing, £5 Free Bet on Multiples and a £5 Free Bet on any Market. Terms apply 18+ gambleaware.org. |
|||||
Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Offer valid 7 days from account opening. 18+ GambleAware.org. Full Terms apply |
|||||
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a single win-only bet of £10 or more with odds of evens (2.00) or greater to qualify. Money back as £10 in free bets. Free bet is credited the day after the qualifying bet has settled. Must use code B10G10 when creating an account. |
|||||
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply. |
|||||
New UK Customers. Register using code BETGETSPORTS. Must bet £10 in total on 4+ legs, min odds 4.0. £20 awarded as 4 X £5 free bets once settled, AND 50 Free Spins to use on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Free bet T&Cs Apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org |
|||||
18+ New customers only. Opt in via mobile or app & bet £10+ on any football market at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 6x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.18+ www.gambleaware.org. |
|||||
New customers Deposit and place your first bet on Sports at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater. Once bet is settled you will receive 1x £10 Free Bet Token to be used on Football, 1x £10 Free Bet Token to be used on Horse Racing. Full terms apply. 18+ begambleaware. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
Full T&Cs apply. New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be either a Single or Acca (2+ selections) bet, start at £20, have 1.9 or greater odds and must be settled within 7 days of opt-in. 3 Free bets include: 1 x £20 Free bet Racing (Horse Racing or Greyhound Racing); 1 x £20 Free Bet Live Football; 1 x £20 Free Bet Live. Max payout – £500. 7-day expiry. To unlock the offer, complete the first deposit via the banking app (Open banking). 18+. BeGambleAware.com |
|||||
18+. New Customers Only. Max 1 x £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
New Customers Only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more. Bets must be placed within 24 hours of registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. UK residents. Full terms apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+ |
|||||
#AD | Welcome bonus for new players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Min. deposit is £10 | No max cash out | Wagering is 40x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill & Neteller deposits excluded for welcome bonus | Cashback when offered, applies to deposits where no bonus is included | Cashback is cash with no restrictions | T&C's apply |Free bet: Min odds: 2.0 - Free bet value will be deducted from free bet winnings | 18+ | BeGambleAware.org | Gambling is addictive, please gamble responsibly! |
|||||
18+. New Customers Only. Min deposit £20. Maximum one £10 Free Bet & two £5 Bet Builder Free Bets. Qualifying bet must be placed at odds of Evens (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus tokens: Token 1 Min odds Req: 4/5 (1.80). Token 2 & 3 are valid for Bet Builder products only and are subject to min odds of 2/1 (3.00). T&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £40, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from receipt. Limited to 1 sport & 5 casino brand/s within the network. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Progress Play network Full Terms Apply. |
|||||
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD |
|||||
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. Get 4x£5 Free Bets for set markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 30x wagering, to withdraw max £250. Rewards expire in 20 days. Full T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
18+ New Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4 x £5 free bets. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
|||||
18+. Play Safe. New customers only, using promo code T60. Valid from 13/04/2022. Online play. Get £60 Bonus split between Vegas & Sports in the following manner – (i) Deposit £10 to unlock £20 Vegas Free Bet on Selected Games (72hr expiry, wagering reqs apply); then (ii) bet £10+ (odds 1/2+) with cash (excl. £10 deposit) or Vegas winnings (after wager reqs met). Once settled, receive £40 Sports Free Bets excluding Virtual Markets (4x £10, 7 days expiry). Full T&Cs apply. #ad |
|||||
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ Please gamble responsibly. |