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Seven months after the Kings Word Cup which took place in Mexico, the Kings World Cup Nations has met with real popular enthusiasm, since its first edition which is currently being held from January 1 to 12, 2025 in Milan, Italy. This initiative of Gerard Piquéaiming to organize a Mondial des Sélections, immediately aroused great interest, with results exceeding all expectations.
Fans have racked up over 75 million views since the start of the competition, across a wide range of platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok and Facebook. More than 75 channels broadcast Kings World Cup Nations matches, with team presidents broadcasting the matches live on their own channels, in addition to numerous global media partners.
Unlike the previous Kings World Cup, where teams made up of content creators and personalities participated, the Kings World Cup Nations limits each country to a single team. Sixteen nations are competing, including Morocco, the sole representative of the African continent.
A different format and special rules
The matches began with three-game elimination stages where each team will need to achieve two victories to advance to the quarter-finals.
The tournament adopts rules inspired by video games to maximize the spectacle. The matches last 40 minutesdivided into two halves, with specificities such as throwing the ball from a cage suspended five meters above the central circle to start the match.
The goalkeepers will take position, and the match will begin with a face-to-face between a player from each team, who will face each other for one minute. Each subsequent minute, a new teammate will join the game, until reaching a total of six outfield players.
In the last two minutes of the first half, a giant die will be thrown to determine the number of players each team will play with until the break, this number can vary between one and six.
In the 38th minute, if the score is not tied, each goal will count double until the end. In the event of a tie, the “golden goal” rule will apply.
If the score is still tied at the final whistle, an American-style penalty shootout (starting from midfield) will decide between the two teams, with five shooters on each side.
Secret cards available to coaches
During matches, a yellow card will result in the player being temporarily suspended for two minutes. In the event of a red card, the player will be permanently excluded and his team will have to wait five minutes before being able to replace him.
Coaches will also have the opportunity to use secret cards, selected before the start of the match. These can only be activated in the second half, before the 38th minute. Among the options proposed are strategic advantages such as goals counting double for four minutes, the temporary exclusion of an opposing player (except the goalkeeper), or the award of a penalty.
In addition, the leaders of each team will be able to use the “president’s penalty” once per match, at a chosen time between the 5th and 18th minute or between the 20th and 38th minute, offering an additional opportunity to score.
The impact of social media in the Kings League
The matches are broadcast live on Twitch, YouTube and other digital media, but the concept goes well beyond a simple traditional broadcast: it integrates fans into the heart of the action by inviting them to interact in real time . They can comment, vote in polls and even influence certain game decisions, creating a unique interactive experience and transforming passive spectators into active participants.
In addition, the broadcasts are enriched with exclusive content, including interviews and behind-the-scenes reports, reinforcing the feeling of belonging to a community. This innovative model, which combines the codes of traditional sport with those of digital culture, offers an avant-garde vision of sporting engagement and could well embody the future of sports entertainment.
Ilyass El Malki, president of the Moroccan selection
The creator of the Kings League, Gerard Piqué, the former Barcelona player, announced last October the appointment of the Moroccan streaming star, Ilyas El Malkipresident of the national selection for this competition.
Raised to the rank of icon by Moroccan youth, Ilyas, a 28-year-old young man from El Jadida, has climbed the ranks of popularity on the streaming scene. With more than 2.5 million subscribers On his YouTube and Twitch channels, his streams mix humor and provocation.
Uncertainties surrounded his participation in this event due to his time in prison. Indeed, Ilyass El Malki had served a two-month sentence for public outrage before leaving El Jadida prison on December 30.
National selection: the “last chance” match
After a disappointing start against Colombia, a match which ended in a 4-1 defeat, the Moroccan national team redeemed itself by winning its second match, by 9 goals to 2 against Ukraine on Saturday January 4. Thanks to this victory, Morocco advanced to the match of “last chance” which will pit him against Japan this Monday, January 6. The meeting will be broadcast on 18 h on social networks, and in particular the Kings League YouTube channel.
The national selection includes former internationals Issam Raqi, Zakaria Hedraf and Mbarek Boussoufa, former player of the Moroccan futsal team Achraf Saoud and sports content creator Said El Aouny (Lawla Dourouf).
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