• Pique: “It’s amazing really. It’s one thing to watch it on a stream or on TV but it’s another thing entirely to see it in person.”
  • The Spanish football legend and entrepreneur joined the EWC Showmatch and was a featured guest on EWC Spotlight during his time in Riyadh
  • Visit coincided with Kings League MENA launch, bringing the emerging sport to the region for the first time
Having enjoyed huge success in football, Spanish football legend Gerard Pique has sought new challenges post-career, launching new business ventures and identifying the growing convergence of gaming, esports and traditional sports as a significant opportunity. Three years on from his last professional match at FC Barcelona, Pique has launched the Kings League, ventured into esports and has steadily become an active player in some of the world’s fastest-growing and most dynamic industries.

Arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Esports World Cup 2025, the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner was full of praise for the scale, ambition and execution of the world’s biggest esports event.

“It’s amazing really. It’s one thing to watch it on a stream or on TV but it’s another thing entirely to see it in person,” explained Pique.

“The atmosphere is amazing. I think that the setup and all the investment that Saudi Arabia has made with this event is unbelievable. I’m enjoying a lot of my first hours in the country and I enjoyed the game between Ronaldo and Kaka, as well as watching the finals that will happen. It’s a really crazy schedule but I’m trying to understand and follow everything.”

During his visit to the Esports World Cup 2025, Pique was part of the Showmatch during the EWC 2025 EA FC game week, supporting Team Kaka as he faced off against Ronaldo Nazário. Pique also toured the EWC Festival and appeared on EWC Spotlight, the weekly show broadcast live from Boulevard Riyadh City that features celebrity guests and prominent figures from the esports industry.

In recent years Pique has launched numerous business ventures across key industries including esports and sports, launching the Kings League and having involvement in the esports team Movistar KOI.

After being fully immersed in the Esports World Cup 2025, Pique was full of praise for the tournament and shared his belief that Saudi Arabia’s investment in the gaming and esports mirrors his own ambition and identifies esports as one of the world’s most dynamic and fast-growing industries.

Discussing the power of esports, Pique said: “I think it’s a very interesting industry, obviously the target is very young people. It has started but obviously needs to become more mature as it’s still a new industry but the excitement is amazing and the following is just insane.”

“The Esports World Cup Foundation has shared with me incredible statistics. They achieved a peak audience of 3.1 million people in one game, so it’s quite amazing numbers and I’m sure that the level of interest will grow in the next few years and every time they will achieve new records.”

“I think it’s a very smart move by the Kingdom, to have this great reach to a young audience and these are the people in the future who will travel and consume and so on. I think that it’s a very smart investment and they have such strong belief in it.”

“I had different conversations with the organizations and it’s only the second Esports World Cup but they want to keep growing over the next few years and I really share with them in this vision and trust in this ecosystem.”

As the founder of Kings League, Pique is already a prominent figure in the converging worlds of esports and sports, with the launch of a one-of-a-kind football league that features seven-a-side football games with unique, entertainment-focused rules and celebrity team presidents. During his visit to Riyadh, Pique announced the roster of teams for the highly anticipated Kings League MENA.

The MENA teams and their presidents include SXB FC, led by Ahmed Alqahtani from Saudi Arabia, Ultra Chmicha led by Morroccan Ilyas Elmaliki, Red Zone led by Jordanian Maher Sultaneh, 3BS led by Jordanian Hani AlQoublam, FWZ FC led by Kuwaiti Fawaz Hamad, Turbo led by Egyptian Saleh Tarboun, and DR7 led by Saudi streamer Mafrah Aseeri.

“We wanted to create a format that was half coming from traditional football and half coming from the esports world, more like a video game concept,” explained Pique. “I think the product that we built is for a young audience, 85% of our audience is under 35 years old, so it’s similar to the Esports World Cup, and I’m sure at some point it will make sense to do something together.”

“Really we are very, very excited, we believe that the region is perfect for King’s League, because they love esports, they love football, they love celebrities. We have announced the rosters and the presidents (for MENA region), we are very excited to launch here and have this partnership with Surge.”

“The idea is that in a short period of time we will have Kings League games here in the region and I’m sure it will be one the most important events in our ecosystem. It’s perfect for the Saudi fans and the MENA region.”

The Esports World Cup continues until August 24 with tournaments across multiple titles including Crossfire, Counter Strike 2 and Street Fighter 6.

For more information on the Esports World Cup and tickets, visit: esportsworldcup.com.

Esports World Cup 2025 concludes with the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC 2025), the leading B2B platform for decision-makers across gaming, esports, sport and entertainment. Held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh from August 23-24, NGSC 2025 aims to foster dialogue, drive collaboration, and shape the future of competitive entertainment.