Esports clubs are entering football — G2, FURIA, LOUD and others are backing the latest trend in media leagues
Top esports organizations are always on the lookout for opportunities to grow their fanbase. One of the easiest ways to do this is by signing a promising team in a new game. For instance, in 2024, several European organizations partnered with Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams from Indonesia.
Another strategy is collaborating with celebrities from other industries. For instance, Team Liquid worked with popular American actor Asa Butterfield (known for Sex Education and Ender's Game) for a period. Some esports organizations have even been co-owned by well-known streamers and influencers, like Ludwig Ahgren with Moist Esports and Timothy ‘’TimTheTatman’’ Betar with Complexity Gaming. Additionally, esports organizations often team up with professional football players, such as Guild Esports and David Beckham, or Furious Gaming and Paulo Dybala.
Recently, a new trend has emerged in esports: in an effort to expand their audience, top organizations are stepping into a completely new arena for them — semi-professional sports. Several popular esports clubs have already launched football teams that compete in media football leagues like Kings League and Baller League. The list of clubs continues to grow, with new esports organizations joining the movement.
Es ist wahr! Wir starten einen Fußballclub.
— G2 FC (@G2FCLUB) April 2, 2025
G2 FC tritt der Kings League bei pic.twitter.com/QQTH2V7luZ
On April 2, the popular European esports organization G2 Esports announced that it will be forming a team to compete in the Kings League Germany 2025, a new division of the media football league created by former footballer Gerard Piqué and streamer Ibai ‘’Ibai’’ Llanos. According to G2 Esports' official website, the team will be based in Berlin, and its head coach will be Malik Hadziavdic, who was a member of the German National Futsal team and played for FC Liria Berlin in the Futsal Bundesliga. Right now, G2 FC is holding player tryouts at the Adidas Sports Base Berlin and will soon reveal its roster.
Esports Clubs in Football Media Leagues
G2 Esports' example is far from the first in the industry. Earlier, three esports organizations from Brazil announced the creation of football teams to compete in the Kings League Brazil 2025, which kicked off on March 29. The football teams from LOUD, FURIA, and Fluxo have already played their first matches in the local league.
Interestingly, the teams from esports organizations drew the largest audience in the first matches of the Kings League Brazil. The games featuring LOUD and FURIA have already reached over 700,000 viewers at their peak, surpassing the best viewership numbers from Kings League Americas.
The president of FURIA FC in Kings League Brazil is none other than football star Neymar Jr.
However, it's not just the football league that benefits from esports brands' involvement — the clubs themselves gain advantages too. For instance, Fluxo's match in the Kings League Brazil peaked at 629,032 concurrent viewers, which is more than any esports event featuring Fluxo has ever attracted. This shows that these collaborations can be viewed as mutually beneficial partnerships: the league gains new viewers, while the clubs open up new opportunities for promotion.
Another example of an esports organization entering semi-professional sports is Eintracht Spandau's participation in the German media football league, Baller League. Eintracht Spandau is a relatively small esports club based in Spandau, best known for its teams in League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. The club has been part of the Baller League since its inception and even earned a bronze medal in the league's first season.
As we can see, it's not just major sports clubs launching esports teams — there's also a reverse trend happening. Right now, teams from esports organizations are competing in media football leagues, but shortly, they could very well make their way into world-class professional football.
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