A group of streamers, athletes, and other media personalities are coming together to put a spotlight on women’s sports. The Queens League, an alternative soccer organization led by longtime F.C. Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, kicked off with its first match on May 6.
The Queens League is the successor to the Kings League, which made a splash earlier this year thanks to its unusual rules and the high-profile owners of its teams. Spanish streamers like Ibai Llanos and TheGrefg (real name David Cánovas Martínez) assembled their own Kings League squads and helped promote the endeavor on their respective streams. Llanos and Cánovas Martínez are known for their record-breaking broadcasts on Twitch.
The Kings League was a smashing success, drawing more than 90,000 fans for its final at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium. Less than two months later, top female soccer players from around the world are getting in on the fun.
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The Queens League includes 12 teams, most of which feature some sort of celebrity ownership. Kings League leaders like Llanos and Cánovas Martínez have added female rosters to participate in Piqué’s latest challenge. Their squads will take on teams led by top female streamers (such as Spanish “just chatting” star Mayichi and Mexican influencer Rivers) and other Hispanic influencers (like Argentine sports journalist Morena Beltrán).
The first Queens League match pitted Las Troncas FC (chaired by gamer Violeta G) against Cánovas Martínez’s Saiyans FC. The action was broadcast live on Twitch, where more than 200,000 viewers tuned in. Queens League matches will also be broadcast on TV in Spain.
👑 ARRANCA EL PRIMER PARTIDO DE LA QUEENS LEAGUE OYSHO.@LasTroncasFC 🆚 @Saiyans_FC_
📺💥 https://t.co/QkvV90b3fx#QueensLeagueJ1 #Oysho pic.twitter.com/7hcNnWlEF7
— Queens League Oysho (@QueensLeague) May 6, 2023
The Queens League is not the first organization to forge a link between women’s sports and the creator economy. As NIL deals provide increased visibility for athletes like The Cavinder Twins, Olivia Dunne, and Bree Green, professional women’s sports leagues are seeing benefits. The Queens League has received praise from the stars of Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, who are happy to see more opportunities for sportswomen around the globe.
“The most important thing about all of this for me is to enjoy the experience and to show people that female soccer is at the same level as male soccer,” said Twitch streamer Gemita, who is President of Ibai’s Porcinas FC team. “We’re going to do amazing, and we’re going to have a good time.”
One of Piqué’s footballing friends, Sergio “Kun” Aguero, joked that the Queens League could get more attention by signing the Spaniard’s ex-wife. But even without Shakira in tow, the Queens League is off to a hot start — and it will continue with additional games over the next two months.
