By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
Kings League MENA will launch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, becoming the format’s seventh global league following expansions into Spain, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, and Germany.
The league blends competitive 7-a-side football with gamified rules and creator-led teams, engaging under-30 audiences through open tryouts, draft-style team selection, and live-streamed drama.
SURJ Sports Investment, led by Danny Townsend, is backing the venture as part of a broader strategy to grow youth-driven sports IPs and long-term commercial platforms in the region.
With over 7 billion impressions and 400M+ engagements in 2024, Kings League is one of global sport’s most engaging digital-first formats — now aiming to localise that success in MENA.
Why It Matters:
Kings League’s hybrid of sport and entertainment is tailor-made for Saudi Arabia’s under-30 majority, which makes up nearly 70 percent of the population. It makes perfect sense that SURJ would support something that is digital-first, youth-led, and culturally attuned.
One of Kings League’s biggest global opportunities, and a key pillar of SURJ’s approach, lies in participation. This is where the most value can be created on both sides. It is also where the biggest opportunity for meaningful innovation exists.
As I said recently on the Sports Pundit podcast, “[Kings League] have nailed entertainment, but there is still room for growth in how they build a participation base around their version of the sport.” This investment gives them the chance to do exactly that.
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