It is the meeting of two people who were undoubtedly destined to cross paths. And to do beautiful things together. The simple act of documenting their collaboration sparked: since Monday evening March 18, the video announcing the appointment of videographer and streamer Amine as “president” of the French team for the Kings World Cup by Gerard Piqué has accumulated, on the Frenchman’s X account (ex-Twitter), more than 22 million views. “It’s taken on crazy proportions, there,” says Amine, who barely realizes it. It’s a bit surreal. »
KINGS WORLD CUP ⚽️
WORLD CUP 7vs7
32 teams in Mexico
Our goal: to be on top of the world.Be ready the casting of the cut is going to be monstrous.
From MAY 26 on my channel 😀 pic.twitter.com/6npLxuwE5i
— Amine 😞🌧 (@AmineMaTue) March 18, 2024
The French influencer like the former FC Barcelona champion (2008-2022) have made Twitch a testing ground for new football-related formats. The first notably brought together French and Spanish streamers for a match which established the audience record on the platform in France, while the second created in 2022 the “Kings League”, a 7-a-side football championship in wacky rules streamed for free. Exclusively for Le Parisien, they talk about their association and their ambitions for this World Cup which will take place at the end of spring in Mexico (May 26-June 9).
The interviews with Amine and Piqué, initially scheduled at the same time, were carried out on a delayed basis on March 19 and 20. They were asked the same questions and their answers were combined.
After two years of the “Kings League”, the “Kings World Cup” will take place this summer in Mexico. How did this project get started ?
GERARD PIQUÉ. We wanted to create a product that looked like football, but was different with slightly crazy standards. For example, before starting the match, each coach draws a card which gives a bonus to his team, a penalty for example or an expulsion to the opposing team, and he can use it strategically whenever he wants. Two minutes before half-time, a die is thrown from the stand and depending on the number of the die, a new rule is established: for example, if it is a 3 the match goes into 3×3 for 2 minutes. From the 38th to the 40th minute, we change the ball for an orange ball and if a goal is scored, it counts double. It drives people crazy, it amuses them enormously and it is undoubtedly one of the secrets of the success of the Kings League.
We wanted the new generations to not be able to turn off the television because something would always happen during the match. The Kings League started in January 2023, and it worked very well, we even filled large stadiums in Spain. In 2024, we wanted to expand, starting with this World Cup. The best teams in Spain, the best teams in America and twelve invited teams, which we will give to strategic streamers in each country, like Amine.
How was the choice of Amine made? How did he end up in this project?
GP Amine is the reference in France and he organized the France-Spain match which worked very well. For this World Cup, we think it is perfect. He dedicated a lot of time, particularly to the video we made for the launch and which is very good. The announcement had a crazy impact and he got very involved.
AMINE. We followed each other with Pique after Eleven All Stars and there were discussions afterwards. It’s a huge project. I always had this idea in the back of my mind to create this type of competition, where we would make our teams ourselves, with content creators… Piqué had this thing already ready, functional, with this legitimacy and he There were connections to be made in France through me, and the few contacts I have. We got along really well, he’s a very intelligent, very natural person. We worked together on everything and he was very open about everything.
“We are a product for young people, but I think it is easier to understand than League of Legends for those over 40. The Kings League is football, it’s a ball going into a goal. »
Gerard Piqué
In this teaser, you find yourself alongside Neymar…
A. I quickly broke Gerard’s head about communication, we had to push the thing into the stars. I called him and said, “Brother, we need to do a teaser” (laughs). It’s amazing, he said yes to everything, he trusted me. I told him: “It would be incredible if there was Neymar in the teaser” and he literally said to me: “Go ahead, OK, I’ll keep you informed. » We did it in Barcelona and we folded it. Everything was clean, everyone was incredible from A to Z. Even Neymar, he was supposed to stay for barely 20 minutes, he stayed for an hour. Everyone was fully invested, Pique brought out his best acting, he did everything as we wanted. All the stories I have created so far have always been natural, whether it be Five, Eleven All Stars, on all projects there has never been a need to convince or force anyone, everything is It’s done in a very simple way.
The excitement caused by the teaser, does it push you to imagine a future for the Kings League in France, Pique?
GP We have seen that the format works very well in Spain. We are going to open the Kings League Americas, in Mexico, and the idea is to do the same thing in certain territories like Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, the United States, throughout of 2024 and 2025. In France, the idea is to start in January 2025, with other streamers who will have their own teams. This year there are the Olympic Games and all the media attention will be focused on the Games. I think from a strategic point of view, 2025 is the right date.
For you, what is the success of the Kings League based on? In the format, the ideas, the audiences brought back by streamers and their communities?
GP The format works very well, the fact that the streamers are there is also a very important element. We are a product for young people, but I think it is easier to understand for those over 40 than, for example, League of Legends. LoL is very complicated whereas the Kings League is football, it’s a ball going into a goal. We are more mainstream.
“People just need to be entertained and creating events like that, where you see people showing up in places you least expect them, contributes to that. »
Amine
A. The content creator side, of course, brings visibility. Afterwards, you can be a content creator and have a community, if the product is rotten, it is rotten. The Kings League ensures that the product is qualitative, and the creators are there to highlight all the work that goes into it. What’s incredible is the world of football coming together with social networks… It’s the multiverse, worlds coming together. And the guys in the football world who get close or distant from it, they really get involved in it. It also creates a close relationship: people have the impression of never having been so close to these people.
Is it comparable to what happened in boxing, for example, with influencers who started fighting among themselves, then with pros?
A. These are just entertainment dynamics. People need to be entertained and creating events like that, where you see people appearing in places where you least expect them, contributes to that. The goal is not to think only around sorrel. When you create entertainment, it also has to be enjoyable to watch. In boxing, it’s cool if there’s a real challenge, a story behind it, like KSI against Logan Paul. You are between sport and a little Netflix series or a reality TV show. As long as it’s done well, you give a good image and it doesn’t go further than the football field or the boxing ring, that’s the most important thing.
GP We borrowed things from different sports. The Kings League is a mix of UFC, football, certain rules of water polo or handball… I think it’s something that people like, it’s entertaining and it’s different from all the products that we have with other traditional sports. It’s a mix between show, entertainment and sport.
For the teaser, which had more than 20 million views on X, Amine had ambitions and Piqué followed him on everything. Even on the presence of Neymar, facilitated by his former teammate at Barça. Rodriguez Lucas
Pique, one of the reasons that pushed you to create the Kings League is the fact that, for you, young people are no longer able to concentrate on a football match. Your product fuels this trend, but do you think it’s a “good thing” that we can no longer concentrate on a match for 90 minutes?
GP I believe that young people consume sport in a different way. They are aware of everything, but they have difficulty spending 90 minutes watching a match. If it’s the quarters, the semis or the final of the Champions League, obviously, but the matches of the 15th day of the championship… They watch it, but they can do something else at the same time, be on their phone… You have to try to find things that they like and to which they devote time, to find products that motivate them.
“They are two very different things, but they are compatible. In the end, what we want is to be different, to be independent. We do not want to be compared to the king sport which is football and which has the most fans in the world. »
Gerard Piqué
A. I think that as many people still follow football, but it has become very expensive. Times are tough, not everyone can afford it. A Kings League is free, it’s entertainment for everyone. Half of the people who watch football have Telegram or IPTV and watch it in a pirated way, we no longer know who is watching or not. There are still so many people interested and if that wasn’t the case, no one would be interested in our project because it’s still football. It’s going to be sporty, intense, it’s an alternative but for me one doesn’t preclude the other. It’s neither rivalry nor competition.
You don’t think the Kings League and the Kings World Cup can “push” traditional football to change? To evolve ?
GP They are two very different things, but they are compatible. In the end, what we want is to be different, to be independent. We do not want to be compared to the king sport which is football and which has the most fans in the world. We want to be different and when people watch us, they have a good time.
A. Even if tomorrow they change things, we won’t know if it’s related to that or not. I hope there won’t be any negative reactions, but one thing is certain for me: they will watch, and maybe there will be some inspiration to take.
“I said to Piqué: it would be incredible if there was Neymar in the teaser and, literally, he said to me: Go ahead, ok, I’ll keep you informed. He was supposed to stay barely 20 minutes, he stayed for an hour,” says Amine. Rodriguez Lucas
If you had to export one rule from the Kings League to classic football, what would it be?
A. There is one that I find incredible, which is that all the players come in one by one at the start of the match, every minute. But in real football, it’s impossible (laughs). It feels like wrestling and as soon as you have an entry from a guy, each time, you probably need different music, like John Cena, that would be crazy (laughs).
GP I read a few weeks ago that the blue card was proposed in football, a 10-minute sanction. That’s what we’re doing in the Kings: yellow is 2 minutes, red is 5 minutes. I don’t know if they’re going to implement the blue card, but I think it’s good to come up with new ideas. I’m not saying that they are good or bad for football, it will be up to the fans to decide, but it is good to find ways to modernize this sport a little with new rules which will evolve little by little. This has always happened in the past, the rules have changed. Our advantage is that because we control our product 100%, we can see what works and change instantly, try things.
