The Américas Kings League (also known as Kings League Américas, and Américas Kings League Santander or simply Kings League Santander for sponsorship reasons) is a seven-a-side football league made up of twelve teams presided by footballers and Internet streamers from across the Hispanic America. It is based on Spain's Kings League, launched by Gerard Piqué in late 2022.
 | |
| Founded | 24 October 2023 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2024 |
| Country | Hispanic America |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Current champions |  Raniza FC (1st title) (First Split, 2024) |
| TV partners | Twitch YouTube Vix (formely) Fox Sports (Mexico) |
| Website | kingsleague.pro/americas |
| Current: 2024 Américas Kings League season | |
Background
editAfter the Kings League began play in early 2023, league CEO Oriol Querol stated that they had a goal to bring the format to multiple countries, with talks for a version in Brazil and another one across the Hispanic America ongoing at the time. The Hispanic American league was formally announced on 14 July 2023, with a statement saying that it would begin play in 2024 in Mexico City.[1] Two weeks later, during the Kings and Queens Finals event held at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Mexican footballer Javier Hernández was the first team chairman to be announced.[2]
A launch event for the league was held on 24 October 2023, with the reveal of all the competing teams and chairpersons,[3] where it was also announced that former Mexico national team player Miguel Layún would be serving as chairman of the league,[4] with Marc Crosas appointed as the league's sporting director.[5]
The league includes a team styled after the eponymous football club from the Mexican comedy-drama Netflix series Club de Cuervos. Luis Gerardo Méndez and Mariana Treviño reprised their roles from the show as Chava and Isabel Iglesias respectively for a club announcement trailer featuring Piqué that was aired during the league's launch.[6][7]
Team organisation
editThe teams and their chairpersons were announced during the league's launch event on 24 October 2023.[3]
| Team | Manager | Chairperson(s) |
|---|---|---|
 Atlético Parceros
|
 Manuel Lanzarote
|
James Rodríguez and Angerson García (Pelicanger)
|
 Club de Cuervos
|
Jacques Passy
|
Natalia García (NataliaMX) and Iván Navarrete (Pipepunk)
|
 Galácticos del Caribe
|
Lucas Ayala
|
Vincent 'Will' Pérez and Angelo Valdés (Los Futbolitos) and Santiago Matías (Alofoke)
|
 Los Aliens 1021
|
Efraín Velarde
|
Edwin Castro (Castro)
|
 Los Chamos FC
|
Gabriel Cichero
|
Donato Muñoz (TheDonato) and Flavio Broianigo (YOLO)
|
 Muchachos FC
|
Rafael Puente Jr.
|
Jero Freixas
|
| Olimpo United
|
Alejandro Castro
|
Javier Hernández (Chicharito)
|
| Peluche Caligari
|
Ángel Reyna
|
Álex (Escorpión Dorado) and Gabriel Montiel (Werevertumorro)
|
 Persas FC
|
Víctor Chaires
|
Andy Merino (ElZeein)
|
| Raniza FC
|
Severo Meza
|
Diego Balsa (BarcaGamer) and Alana Flores (AlanaLaRana)
|
 Real Titán
|
Pol Font
|
Germán Garmendia (HolaSoyGerman)
|
| West Santos FC
|
 Isidro Sánchez
|
Luis Villa (WestCol) and  Austin Santos (Arcángel)
|
Performance by team
edit| Team | Titles | Runners-up | Semi-final | Splits won | Splits runner-up | Splits semi-final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raniza FC
|
1 | 0 | 0 | May 2024 | ||
| Real Titán
|
0 | 1 | 0 | May 2024 | ||
| Persas FC
|
0 | 0 | 1 | May 2024 | ||
| Galácticos del Caribe
|
0 | 0 | 1 | May 2024 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Pérez, Álvaro (15 July 2023). "La Kings League llega a las Américas en 2024 con sede en Ciudad de México". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Calvo, Daniel (1 August 2023). "Chicharito Hernández tendrá un equipo en la Kings League Américas en 2024". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ a b Calvo, Daniel (25 October 2023). "Kings League Américas: todos los equipos y quiénes son sus presidentes de la nueva competición". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Elegido por Piqué, Miguel Layún asume presidencia de la Kings League Américas". Forbes México (in Spanish). 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Monje, Víctor (25 October 2023). "Gerard Piqué presentó Kings League Américas, nuevo torneo de fútbol espectáculo". MeriStation (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Treviño, Mariana; Méndez, Luis Gerardo; Piqué, Gerard (24 October 2023). "CLUB DE CUERVOS LLEGA A LA KINGS LEAGUE!". YouTube (in Spanish). Club de Cuervos (Américas Kings League). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Beltrán, Jesús F. (25 October 2023). "¡Isabel y Chava Iglesias están de vuelta! Así fue la presentación de Club de Cuervos en la Kings League Américas". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2023.