Baller League: Launch date, format, players, how to watch & more

Established in Germany by professional footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski alongside entrepreneur Felix Starck in 2023, it has been announced that the Baller League is heading to the UK and United States.

A new form of football entertainment which will unite legendary names in the sport including John Terry, Luis Figo and Gary Lineker with popular social media influencers such as Chunkz and members of the SIdemen, the Baller League will involve futsal-like six-a-side indoor matches with unique rule twists.

KSI has been announced as the president of the UK Baller League, with his American counterpart IShowSpeed the face of the American equivalent.

Here is everything you need to know about the hotly anticipated Baller League.

Baller League: Launch date

Baller League UK is set to launch on Monday 3rd March 2025 and will take place every week until Monday 19th May 2025.

Baller League: Format and rules

Baller League UK will involve 12 teams, with the top four teams in the league qualifying for play-offs to determine the Baller League UK champions.

This format mirrors the German Baller League which was set up in 2023, with former Germany international midfielder Christoph Kramer and current Juventus Women's forward Alisha Lehmann two figures involved.

The Baller League has also been compared with Gerard Pique's Kings League established in Spain in 2023.

The match rules for the Baller League UK are as follows:

• Both halves will consist of 15 minutes.
• Each team will have a squad of 12 players.
• Each player will earn a fee of £400 per game.
• Games will be six-a-side on a smaller indoor pitch.
• Rule twists will be introduced in last three minutes of each half, including both teams being reduced to just three players, long-range goals counting as double and goalkeepers not being allowed to use their hands.
• MLS-style one-v-one penalties to be used.

Baller League: Players and coaches

A number of well-known names in the world of football and social media have confirmed their association with the Baller League.

Confirmed Baller League UK managers:

• Gary Lineker
• John Terry
• Luis Figo
• Robert Pires
• Alan Shearer
• Micah Richards
• Freddie Ljungberg
• Jens Lehmann

Confirmed content creators associated with Baller League UK:

• KSI
• Chunkz
• Miniminter
• Angry Ginge
• Sharky
• TBJZL

In order to fill the squads for the Baller League UK, trials will be held in London and Manchester with recently retired professionals, futsal players, free agents and released academy players expected to form the final lineups.

Confirmed participants in Baller League USA:

• IShowSpeed
• Ronaldinho

Baller League: How to watch

Baller League UK, set to launch in March 2025, will be live streamed on Twitch and YouTube with coverage presented by British content creator Chunkz.