Kings League draws record audience numbers for global cup in Brazil

Jan 21 : The Gerard Pique-founded Kings League said on Wednesday it achieved record audience numbers across social media and livestream for its Kings World Cup Nations tournament in Brazil.

The second edition of the annual competition generated 1.6 billion impressions on social media and over 120 million livestream viewers, setting all-time records for a Kings League tournament, the organisation said in a statement.

Brazil beat Chile 6-2 at the weekend to clinch the trophy on home soil for the second time, watched by 41,316 spectators in the Allianz Parque in Sao Paulo.

"The Kings World Cup Nations 2026 was our fourth major international tournament and our biggest yet — not only in audience numbers, but also in the scale of the production and its global impact," Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua said.

The seven-a-side format consists of gamified rules to create extra glitz and excitement and is part of an emerging pool of buzzy new leagues seeking to harness an online audience and compete with traditional 90-minute football.

These leagues feature a mix of content creators and former players such as Ronaldo Nazario, who was president of the Kings World Cup Nations 2026.

Created in 2022, the Kings League has domestic leagues across Europe including Italy and recently launched a MENA league in Saudi Arabia as part of a joint collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund’s sports arm.