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The Gerard Pique-founded Kings League is planning a US. launch in 2026 but its fast expansion will not stop there as it expects to enter more global markets and potentially licence the format, the former Spain and Barcelona player has told Reuters.<\/strong><\/p>\n The seven-a-side league created by Pique in 2022 blends soccer with video-game features along with shorter matches, customised rules, heavy audience interaction and social-media personalities as central figures in its teams and events.<\/p>\n It expanded quickly from Spain to Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, where it is hosting its version of the World Cup this month. The priority now, Pique said, is to consolidate the audience base while opening new markets.<\/p>\n While a rollout in the United States is expected this year, the former defender said the league would tread carefully in a country where soccer is not the dominant sport.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be different challenges, and that\u2019s why we want to take our time to really think very carefully about what is the best way to do it,\u201d he said in an interview in Sao Paulo on Friday.<\/p>\n Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua noted that the U.S. version will likely require a larger entertainment component on top of the league\u2019s base product.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not only the fact that soccer is probably the number four or five sport in the country, but also that it\u2019s the climax of sports entertainment culture,\u201d Agaoua said. \u201cWe probably have to invest a bit more in that.\u201d<\/p>\n LICENSING, OTHER SPORTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond the U.S., Pique mentioned strong interest from the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, South Korea and Japan plus several South American markets such as Argentina, Chile and Colombia.<\/p>\n Future expansion could involve licensing the format.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many countries right now that we want to bring the product and we have to find a way. We cannot manage 30, 40 leagues because it would be a nightmare for us as a company. So the idea maybe is to try to licence the product,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Kings World Cup Nations is expected to draw some 40,000 fans to Saturday\u2019s final between Brazil and Chile at Sao Paulo\u2019s Allianz Parque stadium.<\/p>\n The league is also exploring the possibility of eventually expanding into other sports. Agaoua cited basketball, tennis and fighting as potential examples. \u201cThere are plenty of activities where our recipe could work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n