Toni Kroos speaks on his new project after retirement

Admin I Wednesday, July 24, 2024

 

BERLIN – Former Germany star Toni Kroos is to launch another small-pitch football competition involving streamers in early September.

The Icon League will also be run by streamer Elias Nerlich and joins the Baller League in Germany, which is also a tie-up where fans can watch the six-aside competition on the internet. Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique also set up the Kings League in Spain last year.

“It’s been a lot of work over the past few months to develop The Icon League, but I’m looking forward to showing everyone what we’ve created,” Kroos, who retired from professional football after Euro 2024, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Icon League teams will be led by Germany players such as Antonio Rüdiger and Robert Andrich, as well as celebrities such as rapper Luciano.

The rival Baller League was founded by former Germany players Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels. According to organizers, the first season of the Baller League this year achieved around 3 million live views per match day on Twitch and over 450,000 live viewers on streams.

The first major event of the Icon League, Draft Day, starts on July 28 at the Admiralspalast theatre in Berlin. The first match day will be held on September 1 in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena.

The teams will then play every Monday in Dusseldorf’s Castello, a multi-purpose event hall. There have already been 13 teams announced and one more is to follow.