Kings League
The league features rules that differ from traditional football regulations, such as a tie-breaker penalty shootout, unlimited substitutions, and the implementation of secret weapons, to add an element of dynamism and entertainment to the games.[7] Late in the 2023 Winter Split, the "league cards" were introduced, reducing the number of players on the pitch for the last two minutes of the first half, temporarily turning the match into a one-on-one, two-a-side, three-a-side, four-a-side, five-a-side or six-a-side game.The six-a-side option was replaced with a variation of the one-on-one game featuring an outfield player and a goalkeeper who is not allowed to leave the box.[8] The combined Kings and Queens League market ahead of the 2024 season, held as a one-week transfer window, instead used simple asset exchanges as the means of trade.[10] On 20 January 2023, Kings League president Gerard Piqué and FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta announced that the semifinals and final of the winter (inaugural) split playoffs would be held as a Final Four event at the Camp Nou, the home ground of FC Barcelona, on 26 March 2023.[15] One of the most controversial aspects of the league is its use of wild card rules, which allow teams to draw bonuses such as penalties, goal multipliers, and head-starts before the match begins.[16][failed verification] The second matchday featured a mysterious player for the xBuyer Team wearing a lucha libre mask and outfit, known only as "Enigma".Piqué did not rebut this, but defended the league, saying that in order to attract a younger audience, football must create shorter and more entertaining content.[26] On 28 December 2022, the league rebranded to include the name of main sponsor InfoJobs, a classifieds web service owned by Schibsted.The inaugural edition of the Kings Cup started on 10 September 2023 and culminated on 14 October with Ultimate Mostoles defeating Los Troncos in the final.An international competition was realized ahead of this schedule, with the inaugural Kings World Cup set to take place from May to June 2024 in USA.[38] During the ChupChup live stream on 14 July 2023, Querol announced the creation of the Américas Kings League, a competition with teams from Spanish-speaking countries across the American continent, which began play in 2024 in Mexico City.During the Kings & Queens Finals event on 29 July, it was revealed that Mexican footballer Javier Hernández would be chairman of a team in the league.[55] At the Kings League Italia launch on November 18, it was announced that Italy would host the tournament, with the final to be held at Juventus Stadium in Turin.