Baller League raises $33M+ to lead a “New Era of Football”
Baller League, the 6x6 football league with a rapidly growing fan base, has announced that it has raised $25 million in a Series A funding round led by EQT Ventures. This follows an $8 million round closed in Summer 2024.
Baller League has already played two successful seasons in Germany and will use the new capital to expand into other global markets.
Baller League caters to fans who enjoy action-packed short-form content, and digital channels like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch. Players drafted to the Baller League are former academy players, free agents, and recently retired pros or semi-pros, as high quality sport is a top strategic priority. The gameplay is highly familiar to audiences globally, as millions of fans grew up playing fast-paced, small-side football on the playground and on the street.
Unsurprisingly, the league’s platform has already attracted large audiences. With nearly 1 million followers combined on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch, it is already the #1 Twitch channel in Germany and among the top 5 in the world, with a loyal fan base traveling across the country to experience live matches.
Two weeks ago Baller League announced its expansion to the US and UK, where global superstars KSI and IShowSpeed are to lead leagues along with iconic footballers, presenters, and influencers, such as Luis Figo, Ronaldinho, Freddie Ljungberg, John Terry, Gary Lineker, Angry Ginge, and members of the Sidemen slated as team presidents.
With the announcement of these new markets and fresh capital, the Baller League team is thrilled to continue making the next era of football far more accessible, to far more fans – bringing the most popular game on earth, and its fandom, back to its roots.
Felix Stark, CEO of Baller League commented: “Small sided football is the biggest sport in the world. Most football players around the world have never even played traditional 11 a side football. At Baller League we want to reconnect to that base and give these players and fans the stage they deserve.
“Building a company is a marathon, not a sprint and EQT Ventures completely understands this, offering the perfect counterpart to our team at Baller League. As we expand to new markets next year, I have complete trust in their ability to support our growth.”
Ashley Lundström, Partner at EQT Ventures added: “Felix and the team are passionate, creative, and ambitious. With backgrounds in entertainment, sports-media and professional football – combined with an incredible ability to turn ideas into action – they are exceptionally well positioned to build the next generation of this sport. Their grounded approach to bringing a loved sport back to its roots resonates deeply with us. We couldn't be more excited about partnering with this team on their journey."
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