Queens League

The Queens League (officially known as the Queens League Oysho due to sponsorship reasons) is a seven-a-side football league in Barcelona established in 2023 by Gerard Piqué, football personalities and internet streamers. It is based on the Kings League, launched by Piqué shortly before. The league rules include a tie-breaker penalty shootout, unlimited substitutions, and the implementation of secret weapons.

History
Shortly after the inaugural season of the Kings League began, Oriol Querol, CEO of Kings League and Kosmos Holding director, announced the Queens League, a competition for women. From May 2023, Queens League matches will be played on Saturdays, ahead of Kings League matches on Sundays. Former Spain players like Priscila Borja and Willy offered themselves to join the Queens League. Ibai Llanos of Porcinos, was the first Kings League chairperson to confirm the creation of his women's team, Porcinas. Former player Borja Fernández offered to coach the team.

The Queens League had a launch event on 24 February 2023 at the Cupra Arena, with all of the Kings League teams taking part in the new tournament; some have changed branding for the women's team, and some have introduced more female streamers and popular figures as chairpersons.

While the Kings League's first season saw involvement from former professional footballers, the Queens League also includes current professionals, particularly in the organisation of teams: FC Barcelona Femení and Switzerland player Ana-Maria Crnogorčević is part of the staff of Saiyans FC; her club teammates Patricia Guijarro, Clàudia Pina, and Sandra Paños are all ambassadors of teams; as are Spain player Jennifer Hermoso and Chile player Christiane Endler. The number one draft pick was Zaragoza CFF, Egypt, and former Barcelona player Sara Ismael.

Mexican sports newspaper Récord wrote upon the announcement of the Queens League that it would be important in promoting gender equality in the world of video gaming. The Queens League teams are given the same conditions and pay as the Kings League. In May 2023, Pique and Spanish broadcasting company Mediaset announced that one match each day – the 8pm games of both the Queens League and Kings League – would be broadcast on free-to-air television on channel Cuatro, which broadcasts most sports content. Highlights from other games and the related talkshows Chup Chup and After are also shown on Cuatro.

Format and rules
A season is formed of a winter split (beginning in January) and a summer split (beginning in May), taking place over 13 weeks (including regular season and play-offs) and with 11 regular matches per team in each split. The twelve teams will each face each other once in regular season, with six matches taking place consecutively on each matchday (typically, Saturdays). At the end of each regular season, the eight best-placed teams will face each other in the play-offs, which takes place as a seeded bracket. VAR is used both for decisions and in place of goal-line technology.

Matches will be 40 minutes long, of two 20-minute halves, with a 3-minute half-time break; with such brief matches, the rules state that timewasting will be punished. If the scores are tied at the end of a match, a penalty shoot-out tiebreaker will be used, with players taking the shots from the halfway line. Match kick-off is the same as in water polo, with the ball in the centre of the pitch and players at their own ends. Teams have unlimited substitutions; some league rules can prevent specific substitutions if enacted. Team staff have to remain seated on the bench throughout the match except for giving instructions to players or using the button to enact different special rules. Each team has secret weapon cards, which can grant them a penalty in their favour, a shootout in their favour, taking off an opposition player for 2 minutes, double-score goals for 2 minutes, a wildcard, and to steal another team's card.

Several special rules were voted for by fans on social media. Yellow cards see the player benched for 2 minutes, with red cards sending the player off and not allowing a substitute to enter for 5 minutes. League Cards can be played by league representatives, rather than teams, from the 18th minute, which force both teams to remove players and continue the first half not as seven-a-side but as any equal number of players apiece fewer than seven. If the match is played 2v2 (or 1v1) and a player receives a card, the exclusion will begin in the second half. Gameplay changes if 1v1 has been selected: each player may only play in their half and the centre circle, and (even if the player is the goalkeeper) cannot stop shots with the hands; a countdown clock of 10 seconds is applied to possession before needing to shoot or turnover possession.

Each team has a roster of 12 players, with 10 selected in the draft. The other roster slots are for the 11th Player, typically a professional, who stays with the team for the split, and the 12th Player, another guest player, who can change every matchday.

Draft and market
The Queens League and Kings League have a draft and trade system based on North American sports. The trading system uses a virtual economy in which teams are supplied a fixed amount of "Euros" (100 million) by the league and players can be exchanged for "Euros" (or in player swaps, for draft picks, or a combination), but there is no real currency involved. The drafts and markets are held over a similar period. The combined Kings and Queens League market ahead of the 2024 season, held as a one-week transfer window, used asset exchanges as the means of trade, unlike previous Kings League markets.

Venue
The Queens League is held at the Cupra Arena in the Port of Barcelona area along with the Kings League.

Criticism
Before the league began, there was criticism from Porcinas' Ibai Llanos, who said that before the draft was held but after the tests, some of the candidates had been approached by other teams to sign them as 11th or 12th Players, effectively signing some of the best players for their teams without having to go through drafting.

Season 1 (2023)
The 11th Players were announced before the draft on 16 April 2023. Sportswear company Oysho is the league's main sponsor and kit supplier. The first season is set to begin on 6 May 2023 and host its Final Four event on 29 July.