Star-studded startup Baller League raises $25 million to usher in a “new period” for soccer

The Baller League – a new six-a-side football league backed by legends such as Ronaldinho, Gary Lineker and Luis Figo – has raised $25 million from EQT Ventures to usher in a “new era” for the beautiful game.

German entrepreneur Felix Starck co-founded the Baller League last year along with former players Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski. The founders wanted to transform the way younger audiences engage, watch and interact with the world's most popular sport.

The league, which is now expanding from Germany to the UK and US, consists of shorter 30-minute games that can be streamed on popular digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Amazon's live streaming service Twitch.

“Sports is no longer as easy as just saying, 'Look, we're here now, come watch us,'” Starck said. “That’s just not how sport works anymore. It has to be exciting and authentic. Those are the two words we always use in the Baller League.”

In addition to some of the biggest names in the game, influencers Darren Jason Watkins Jr (KSI) and Olajide Olatunji (IShowSpeed) are also working with Baller League. The couple has a whopping 58 million YouTube subscribers between them.

The 💜 of EU technology

The latest rumors from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise old founder Boris and some questionable AI artwork. It's free in your inbox every week. Register now!

KSI and IShowSpeed ​​are expected to lead the league's newly established UK and US chapters. Ronaldinho, Lineker, Figo and other prominent former players such as John Terry, Alan Shearer and Freddie Ljungberg will serve as team presidents.

The Ballerliga broadcast its first games live from a converted aircraft hangar in Cologne. It quickly amassed nearly a million followers across all digital platforms. This makes it Germany's top Twitch channel and one of the top five worldwide.

The Baller League UK is expected to debut on March 3, 2025. Games take place every Monday until May 19th. The games will be streamed live, with YouTuber Chunkz hosting a weekly show. Twelve teams will compete, with the top four advancing to the playoffs where they will compete to become the season champion.

The Baller League recruits players from a variety of backgrounds, including former academy players, free agents and recently retired professionals or semi-pros. Player testing takes place in London and Manchester.

Baller League is confident that the fast-paced gameplay will resonate with fans around the world, many of whom grew up playing small-team football on playgrounds and on the streets.

“Baller League is We’re bringing a beloved sport back to its roots,” said Ashley Lundström, partner at EQT Ventures, the Swedish venture capital firm that led the funding round.

Baller League is part of a new cohort of up-and-comers using influencers and social media to reach a global, primarily younger audience. Earlier this year, former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué raised €60 million for the Kings League, a seven-a-side football competition.

As newcomers like the Baller League and Kings League gain more and more fans, it remains to be seen how the soccer establishment will react. The old guard could innovate within their own structures to retain younger audiences, similar to how traditional banks responded to the rise of digitally savvy challenger banks like Revolut.

Whatever the case, this “new era” seems here to stay. Let the games begin.