In January 2024, a new soccer league was launched in Germany with the Baller League – and with great success! The indoor soccer tournament for amateur footballers initiated by Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski enters Season 2 in July.
What is the Baller League anyway, who will be playing in Season 2, what are the special rules again and where will the games be broadcast?
Here are the answers to the most important questions about the new amateur soccer league called Baller League: participants, teams, dates and schedule, the mode with the special rules and the live broadcast on ran, Joyn and Prosieben Maxx.
Baller League Schedule – Season 2
What is the Baller League anyway?
The Baller League, founded by Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski, is an indoor small-sided league with two 20-minute matches. The game is played in a 6 vs. 6 format with its own rules.
The special feature: each team has a well-known sportsperson or a personality from the entertainment sector who is one of two team managers.
Founder Mats Hummels says: “Exciting personalities with different backgrounds lead teams that play entertaining indoor soccer on a small pitch in a real league at a high level.”
Motorworld in Cologne was chosen as the venue for the Baller League. All matches will take place in Lukas Podolski’s home town. The hangar there has space for a maximum of 4,000 spectators.
For Baller League 2024 Season 2, there were plans to choose a different venue – with a slightly larger spectator capacity. In the end, however, they stayed in Cologne
Baller League 2024: Dates & Schedule for Season 2
- Draft: July 15, 2024
- 1st matchday: July 22, 2024
- 2nd matchday: July 29, 2024
- 3rd matchday: August 5, 2024
- 4th matchday: August 12, 2024
- 5th matchday: August 19, 2024
- 6th matchday: August 26, 2024
- 7th matchday: September 2, 2024
- 8th matchday: September 9, 2024
- 9th matchday: September 16, 2024
- 10th matchday: September 23, 2024
- 11th matchday: September 30, 2024
- “Final Four” tournament: October 7, 2024
The Baller League Start 2024 for Season 2 is scheduled for Monday, July 22. Matchday 1 will take place on this day.
The other match days will follow in the following weeks on Mondays from 18:45.
The final day will take place on October 7, 2024 (Sunday). The semi-finals, the match for third place and the grand final will then take place on the Final 4 weekend.
However, the Final Four of the Baller League will not take place in Cologne, but in Düsseldorf, in the PSD Bank Dome.
Mode, rules, procedure
The league with 12 teams is played in the classic way. Each team plays against another team once. The top four teams in the final table take part in the final four tournament and play for the championship title.
The duration of each game is 2x 15 minutes with a five-minute break in between. The pitch is 50 x 29 meters, there are outlines and no boards. However, the game is played with offside (!).
The special thing about the new indoor league is the rules of the game. In addition to the usual rules, there will also be innovative differences to traditional (indoor) soccer.
There is no draw at the end, but a winner is determined in a shootout
- Teams: 11 with 11 players each (two wildcard players are possible per match day, so the teams can nominate (professional) footballers)
- Playing time: 2 x 15 minutes (+5 minute half-time break)
- Pitch: 50 x 29 meters, no boards, with outlines
- Players on the field: 6 vs. 6
- Clock: is stopped at 17 minutes and 37 seconds for wheel of fortune
- Rule: there is one so-called “game changer” per half – a game-changing rule
Baller League teams, participants & players: Who is taking part?
Since the announcement of the new small-sided league, there have always been rumors about which players and celebrities will be taking part.
For a long time, Mats Hummels only revealed: “I’m most pleased that we’ve managed to combine not just footballers with influencers and streamers, but also some stars from music and entertainment.”
Little by little, the secret of the Baller League 2024 players and participants was revealed. Who will be in the 12 teams in Season 2
The Baller League teams & participants 2024
- Streets United: Lukas Podolski & Alisha Lehmann
- Cage Tigers: Kevin-Prince Boateng & Diyar Acar
- Las Ligas Ladies: Jule Brand & Selina Cerci
- Brotatos Lars & Lucas
- Hollywood United: Max Kruse & Kossi
- VfR Zimbos: Gamerbrother & Tisi Schubech
- Golden XI: Christopher Kramer & Ana Maria Marković
- Calcio Berlin: Nico Heymer, Christoph Kröger & Niklas Levinsohn
- Eintracht Spandau: Hans Sarpei and HandOfBlood
- Beton Berlin: Kontra K and Felix Lobrecht
- Hardstuck Royale: Trymacs (Maximilian Stemmler)
- Gönrgy Allstars: MontanaBlack and Sascha Hellinger
There are some prominent names on the list of Baller League 2024 participants as so-called “team managers”. League founder Lukas Podolski will manage the “Streets United” team with soccer starlet Alisha Lehmann.
Kevin-Prince Boateng and fresh soccer retiree Max Kruse are also on the list of Baller League 2024 players. Boateng leads the “Käfitiger” team with Youtuber Diyar Acar, while Kruse has the joker Knossi at his side in his “Hollywood United” team.
Gladbach professional Christoph Kramer and German national soccer player Jule Brand are also part of two teams. Kramer leads “Golden XI” and Jule Brand acts as team manager in the “Las Ligas Ladies” team together with Selina Cerci.
Another well-known Baller League 2024 participant and player is Hans Sarpei. The cult soccer figure leads the “Eintracht Spandau” team
Baller League broadcast: Who broadcasts the matches?
As revolutionary as the Baller League is supposed to be, the Baller League is broadcast in the traditional way on TV. At least in part.
ran broadcasts the Baller League every Monday from 4 p.m. in full length via stream in the free Joyn app. ProSieben MAXX also broadcasts the top game live on free TV every Monday from 8:15 pm to 9:30 pm.
Of course, the top match can also be seen on Joyn or in the livestream on ran.de and in the ran app.
Joyn Content Manager Thomas Münzner adds: “The ‘Baller League’ is a completely new kind of soccer. Intense, innovative and interactive. The combination of high-quality sport and the streaming world is perfect for Joyn. We are delighted to be working with ProSieben MAXX to provide media support for the new soccer streamer league right from the start.”
“Eleven times live soccer in prime time. We are rolling out the green carpet for the ‘Baller League’ on ProSieben MAXX and are looking forward to exciting soccer evenings in this completely new way and form,” says ProSieben MAXX station manager Ellen Koch.
Are tickets available for the Baller League?
There is great interest in the new small-sided league. One question remains: Are there tickets for the Baller League 2024?
The answer is “yes”, but with one caveat: Baller League tickets are not for sale, they can only be won!
XING is giving away 5×2 exclusive tickets per match day.
Who else is involved in the Hummels/Podolski project?
Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski are the two faces and figureheads of the new indoor league. Behind them is a team from a wide variety of areas, which are to promote and establish the brand.
Co-founder Felix Strack revealed: “The Baller League brings the football pitch and the rules of the street into a league system. We want to get back to the roots – honest, fast and exciting soccer. The way you want soccer to be and the way it used to be – unpredictable”.
Co-founder Thomas de Buhr adds: “The Baller League is for everyone, anyone can apply now and try to get one of the coveted places in the 12 teams. “
