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 Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America. It is based on Spain's Kings League, launched by Gerard Piqué in late 2022.
 | |
| Founded | 24 October 2023 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2024 |
| Country | Latin America |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Current champions |  Raniza FC (1st title) (First Split, 2024) |
| TV partners | Twitch YouTube |
| Website | kingsleague.pro/americas |
| Current: 2024 Américas Kings League season | |
Background edit
After 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 Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America ongoing at the time. The Latin 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 Américas Kings League will feature a team styled after the eponymous football club from the Mexican comedy-drama series Club de Cuervos, with actors Luis Gerardo Méndez and Mariana Treviño reprising their roles from the show for a video that was aired during the league's launch livestream.[6]
Team organisation edit
The 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 | Mercedes Roa |
 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 edit
References 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.
- ^ 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.