Fresh soccer retiree Toni Kroos has launched a new project with the Icon League even before his retirement – and it promises to be big, just like his name!
What is the Icon League? A new small-sided soccer league that is likely to be quite similar to the existing Baller League – or is it?
Here you can find all the information about the new Icon League: participants, teams, dates and schedule, the mode with the special rules and the live broadcast.
Icon League Schedule & Results: Matchday 7, 14.10.
The current Icon League table
What is the new Icon League?
The Icon League was born on November 6, 2023, when it was announced that Germany’s top footballer Toni Kroos and social media star Elias Nerlich were launching a joint project.
The Icon League will be a small-sided soccer league in which teams of 5 players will compete against each other in a league.
The key data of the Icon League 2024
Like Gerard Pique’s famous Kings League and Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski’s Baller League, which celebrated its premiere in 2024, The Icon League is also a tribute to the former footballing magic.
However, the new Icon League 2024 promises to be somewhat different from the two previously known templates. How will it differ from Baller League and Kings League? That remains to be seen.
Toni Kroos revealed cryptically in an interview: “We will create something new, something innovative, something electrifying. We will offer very entertaining soccer with entertainment – a spectacle.”
The Icon League 2024 will kick off on September 1. Then we’ll know more…
Icon League start and match schedule 2024: All dates at a glance
When does the Icon League 2024 start?
The Icon League 2024 kicks off on Sunday, September 1 at 3:00 pm. The venue for the first match day is the Lanxess Arena in Cologne.
There are a total of 13 match days on the 2024 Icon League schedule, which will be played on Mondays from match day 2 onwards.
After the basic round, there will be a play-in tournament on December 2. The last of the 15 Icon League dates in 2024 is the final. The final is scheduled for December 15.
Icon League Schedule & Dates:
- Matchday 1: September 01
- Matchday 2: September 09
- Matchday 3: September 16
- Matchday 2: September 09
- Matchday 2: September 16
- Matchday 3: September 16 September
- Matchday 4: September 23
- Matchday 5: September 30
- Matchday 6: October 07
- Matchday 7: October 14
- Matchday 8: October 21
- Matchday 7: October 14
- Matchday 8: October 21 October
- Play Date 9: October 28
- Play Date 10: November 04
- Play Date 11: November 11
- Play Date 12: November 18
- Play Date 13: November 25
- Play Ins: December 2 December
- Final: December 15
Venue: Where will the matches take place?
The first matchday of the “Toni Kroos League” will be played in Cologne at the Lanxess Arena. It should be a tremendous start!
After that, all games of the basic round and the games in the play-in tournament will take place in Düsseldorf in the Castello multi-purpose hall.
The final on December 15 will be played at the SAP Garden in Munich, the brand-new stadium of ice hockey team Red Bull Munich and FC Bayern Basketball.
Icon League 2024 Stars & Teams: Who’s taking part?
Which teams and participants are taking part in the Icon League 2024? Both current and former professional footballers as well as other big names from the world of sport and TV and internet entertainment will lead the 14 teams.
Icon League teams and their captains
- Berlin City FC: Luciano and Antonio Rüdiger
- Players United: Leon Draisatl and Claudio Pizarro
- Two Stripes United: Felix Kroos and Robert Andrich
- Bavarian Clique: Franck Ribéry and ViscaBarca
- DNA Athletics: David Alaba and Niklas Wilson-Sommer
- The Pack: Simon Terodde and Wolff-Christoph Fuss
- B2B United: Bilal Kamarieh and Benjamin Henrichs
- Civic: Reezy and Achraf
- Berlin Underdogs: Ski Aggu and Fabian Reese
- Motor Neu5Land: Thorsten Mattuschka, FiNCH and Tim Kleindienst
- FOKUS Eagles: Sidney Friede and Jordan Torunarigha
- Wontorriors: Laura Wontorra and Nils Glagau
- FC One Football: Alphonso Davies and One-Football-Community
- FC Buzz Club: Omar Marmoush, Breel Embolo and Ismail Jakobs
About the teams, league founder Elias Nerlich revealed the following in advance: “Many well-known names from the soccer scene, the entertainment sector and also the music industry have confirmed their participation.”
Admittedly, he didn’t promise too much. The list of Icon League 2024 participants includes some very prominent names from the big, wide world of soccer.
The 14 Icon League teams include many active soccer stars. These include the two Real Madrid stars Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba as well as Alphonso Davies (FC Bayern), Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig) and Fabian Reese from Hertha BSC.
Former Bayern stars Franck Ribery and Claudio Pizarro also lead two Icon League teams.
Leon Draisaitl, one of the best ice hockey players of our time, is also on the list of Icon League participants – as are soccer presenter Laura Wontorra and soccer commentator Wolf Fuss.
Which celebrity has which team?
Antonio Rüdiger leads the team “Berlin City FC”, Robert Andrich together with Toni’s brother Felix Kroos the selection called “Two Stripes United” and Franck Ribery the “Bavarian Clique”.
The football/ice field hockey duo Claudio Pizarro/Leon Draisaitl pull the strings with “Players United”, while David Alaba is in charge of the “DNA Athletics” team.
Fabian Reese is the manager of “Berlin Underdogs” together with Ski Aggu and Benjamin Henrichs is there for “B2B United”.
Among the Icon League teams, Laura Wontorra will manage the team named after her, “Wontorriors”, and Wolff Fuss will not only talk a lot with “The Pack” together with Simon Terrode, but may also be allowed to make some decisions here and there.
Mode & Rules of the new Icon League
What will the format and mode of the new Icon League be like?
The games will be played with 5 vs. 5 and with a cushion. There are already two differences to the Baller League, which is played 6 vs. 6 and without a cushion.
With an appropriate set of rules, everything should be even more exciting and varied.
There is one “rulebreaker” per team during the game, which can be used once per team. There are eight of these Icon League rules in total:
The rules of the Icon League 2024
- Players: 5 vs. 5 on the field
- Playing time: 2 x 15 minutes (5-minute half-time break)
- Field: 50 x 29 meters WITH boards
- No draw: If there is a draw after the official playing time, the “Golden Goal” decides.
What are the rulebreakers?
The “rulebreakers” in Icon League mode 2024 are special rules that a team can use to throw the opposition off their rhythm or to decide a game.
For example, goals count double if the goal or assist is scored over the boards. Goals also count double in “Team Play” if the players have only touched the ball once beforehand.
Another interesting feature is the “Shot Clock”, where the attacking team only has 20 seconds to score. The “outnumbering” rule could be funny, where an additional player is added to the field.
All rulebreaker rules at a glance
- Shotclock: Attack must be executed within 20 seconds.
- Teamplay: Hits count double if at least everyone in the team has had contact with the ball beforehand.
- Band: If an assist or goal is scored over the board, the goal counts double.
- Tunnel: The player who was tunneled must leave the field for one minute.
- Two contacts: On a third contact, the ball goes to the other team.
- Overcrowding: One player is added to the field.
- Position: Goalkeeper swaps with an additional field player.
The eighth and last of the Icon League rules regarding “Rulebreaker” may be determined by the community. This will then be incorporated and used in the games.
The rules of the Icon League 2024 can therefore be expanded and changed at any time.
TV & Stream: Who will be broadcasting the new small-sided league?
When there is a new soccer league in Germany, especially when well-known stars are involved, fans of the round leather naturally want to know whether they can watch it live: Will the Icon League 2024 be broadcast anywhere?
The broadcast of the Icon League can be watched live on Twitch. Obvious, as social media star Elias Nerlich has almost two million followers on his Twich account.
The second platform for the Icon League broadcast is Pluto TV. This online platform or app makes 100 TV channels available online. Pluto TV is easy to use and does not require registration.
It is also conceivable that some match days will also be shown on a traditional TV channel – also to reach those soccer fans who are not (yet) on Twitch. The Baller League, for example, was shown live on Prosieben Maxx and also streamed on ran.de and Joyn.
But broadcasting the IL on RTL or the special-interest channel Nitro would also be an option. After all, Elias Nerlich and RTL have often worked together in the past.
Another argument in favor of an Icon League broadcast on RTL and/or Nitro: Jana Wosnitza has been signed on as presenter. She works full-time at RTL for the NFL broadcasts…
