This week it was announced that the Baller League – a six-a-side tournament originating in Germany – would be coming to the United Kingdom and United States next year, with some big names attached. Here we round up the details.
In case you missed it on socials this week, Baller League announced that it was branching out from its German-roots to arrive in the United Kingdom and the United States of America in early 2025. And the announcement came in some style, paying homage to the famous Nike Brazil ad from the 1998 World Cup with a host of familiar and famous faces involved, including Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, John Terry, and Luis Figo.
So what’s it all about?
Baller League is touted as being “a new form of forward-thinking and hyper-exciting football.” Described as a “new era for football,” it’s a competitive six-a-side football league that combines the traditional game with a “back to the roots” style of play with new rules to excite fans. In its first two seasons in Germany it has attracted a decent following, and is being supported in the UK and US by a host of major social media stars. KSI has become the President of the UK league and IShowSpeed will be President of the US Baller League, while Ronaldinho is the first name linked as a manager in the US.
Alongside footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski, the concept has been developed by Baller League CEO, Felix Starck, who says: “Baller League is a brand new way to consume football. We’re redefining how the game is played by bringing an exhilarating and authentic approach to football, and one that will appeal to current fans along with future generations.
“Baller League is all about forward-thinking, aggressive, hyper-exciting football. We’re about creating a version of the game that’s impossible to ignore – thrilling, bold and packed with excitement.”
So far, the UK game has added eight high-profile managers, or manager-teams who will lead one of the 12 sides. Alongside the former players, other UK team managers include Sidemen members Miniminter and Tobi, gaming streamer and content creator Angry Ginge, and YouTuber Sharky.
Why should I care?
Leave your traditions at the door, this is football for a new generation, and if you’re not down with that then this is not for you. Baller League is part of a new wave in terms of how football is consumed. It’s an exciting, new approach that’s geared up for the social media generation. No pasties and bovril at half time here. At least we don’t think there is.
Sounds a lot like Kings League. What’s different?
A host of new leagues have sprung up in recent years, such as Gerard Piqué's Kings League and the Icon League featuring FC OneFootball, all offering a unique twist on the traditional game of football, and Baller League’s expansion is just bringing attention to it as the latest iteration. In short, it’s not all that different, save for the obvious geographic locations, the fact that it’s six a-side where Kings League is seven-a-side, and the length of matches is slightly different (Kings League is 20 mins per half where Baller is 15). Although some rule twists aim to keep things interesting, to say the least...
OK, sounds interesting enough. What else do I need to know?
Baller League UK is due to begin on 3 March 2025 and will take place every Monday until 19 May on indoor football pitches with 12 teams competing. The top four teams in the league will qualify for the play-offs to decide a champion.
Along with the big names involved, what spices things up are the rule twists, which will be introduced during the final three minutes of each half. These include things like three v three, long-range goals counting as double and goalkeepers not being allowed to use their hands.
Fans can follow Baller League on their social channels: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube.
