What is The Baller League and How Does it Work?

What is The Baller League and How Does it Work?

We are living in an ever-evolving generation. Many people in today’s day prioritise watching their favourite content creators over traditional daytime television and sport.

Here’s where they both combine - Baller League. The football community was taken by storm earlier this year throughout a breakout competition called The Baller League. It was essentially small-sided football broadcasted live on Sky Sports, showcasing the UK’s favourite online content creators and celebrities.

However, whilst it is still a growing image in the sport, some still don’t have a clue what the competition is and others are on the right lines but haven’t necessarily watched it themselves, meaning the nitty-gritty of the tournament is still a story to be told.

This article is going to tell you everything you need to know about what the tournament is and how it is formatted. Buckle in, there’s a lot to be made aware of.

What Exactly is Baller League?

Baller League is an indoor six-a-side football tournament, which was crafted originally in Germany by an entrepreneur named Felix Starck. Footballers Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels backed the owner with investment to start with, which fired up the German edition in the same year.

That competition consisted of 12 teams, with the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Max Kruse, Podolski and Florian Neuhaus all coaching their own teams.

It was a huge success which resulted in it launching in the United Kingdom earlier this year. Once again, the tournament held 12 teams, with some of the most prominent names in the country. The likes of John Terry, Angry Ginge, Santan Dave, Luís Figo, Maya Jama, Ian Wright and Chloe Kelly all coached their own sides.

Baller League UK is returning for another season. pic.twitter.com/lXlBmVLPow

— VERSUS (@vsrsus) October 13, 2025

The tournament was held across The Copper Box Arena and The O2 Arena and was praised heavily through it’s engagement to a younger audience.

Baller League has now officially branched out into the United States now too, with some anticipated coaches having already been announced.

What is the Format?

As far as football competitions go, Baller League really doesn’t follow a complex format. As previously mentioned, the league contains 12 teams in total, as they each play games to earn points - similarly to any regular league table.

Every team plays each other once, meaning by the end of the league phase they will have played 11 games each. They are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw, but then an extra point can be won in spin-off penalty shootouts.

Once the final league placement is complete, the top four teams in table will compete in a playoffs for the championship. The playoffs follow the same format at English Football League playoffs, with two semi-finals and a final. The winner from that is then crowned champions.

BALLER LEAGUE EXPLAINED IN LESS THAN 60 SECONDS ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/v47MXQJh6x

— Jolie Sharpe (@joliesharpe_) March 22, 2025

The only complicated rules come with the trade of small-sided games. Each game lasts 30 minutes in total (15 minutes per half) and it is six-a-side football. However, each team drafts 12 players for their squad.

Some of the peculiar rules come with the likes of MLS-style penalties, which are essentially one-vs-ones against the goalkeeper after dribbling from the halfway line. There are no corners, instead the team is rewarded with a penalty. There are wildcards where they can add up to two random players in each week, as well as ‘gamechangers’ - as each team has the chance to implement special in-game modifications.

The team managers can also throw in a white flag to challenge any refereeing decisions during the game.

Who Are the Players and How Are They Drafted?

Ahead of the tournament’s commencement, there is a live-streamed ‘draft phase,’ where each manager will compete in amusing challenges to place themselves earlier in the choosing process.

They will then one-by-one pick a player each, from a large selected group, to join their team until they have made up all 12 spots - giving 144 players the chance to showcase their talents.

Introducing Deportrio's wildcard for the week...

Welcome to Baller League, Joleon Lescott 💪 pic.twitter.com/vgHpVQEQqB

— Baller League (@BallerLeagueUK) March 31, 2025

However to make things competitive, the players aren’t content creators with no footballing background; instead they are players from a high level in the sport, with most of them having played near the top of non-League or even in the Football League in the past.

The likes of Joleon Lescott, Kazaiah Sterling, Lee Angol, Marvin Sordell, PK Humble and Adrian Mariappa all competed in the first UK season, as well as plenty of talented non-League players who were given a chance to display what they’re capable of.