On January 31st, Neymar rejoined Santos FC after a year with Al-Hilal. Just weeks later, on February 19th, the football superstar joined forces with Brazil's leading esports organization, FURIA. In his new role as president of their media football team, Neymar will spearhead FURIA's entry into the Kings League, an innovative gaming tournament blending traditional sports and esports.
Table of Contents
- What Will Neymar Do?
- What Is Kings League?
- Neymar's Longstanding Connection to FURIA
- Neymar's Ties to Esports Extend Beyond FURIA
What Will Neymar Do?
Neymar expressed his excitement, stating, "Anyone who follows me knows how much I've backed FURIA since day one. Whenever my schedule allows, I'll be working closely with the team. I'm confident that the squad we assemble will consistently perform at a high level."
As president, his initial focus is building FURIA's Kings League roster. The league uses a 7v7 format with 13-player teams; 10 players are drafted from a pool of 222 participants, and 10 teams compete. Beyond recruitment, Neymar can participate in matches via the "president penalty" rule.
What Is Kings League?
Launched in Spain in 2022, co-founded by Gerard Piqué and streamer Ibai Llanos (17 million Twitch followers), the Kings League has expanded to Italy and Central America. Past finals were held at venues like Camp Nou. Matches are 2x20 minutes and feature unique elements like "double goal" bonuses and temporary player removals.
The Brazilian edition, running from March to April in São Paulo, includes teams like Fluxo, Loud, and a team led by streamer Gaules (over 500,000 concurrent viewers). The presentation and draft will air live on February 24th.
Neymar's Longstanding Connection to FURIA
Neymar has been a vocal FURIA supporter since their 2019 CS:GO Major qualification. He frequently shared match highlights and celebratory videos on social media. He once praised their performance, saying, "Go Brazil! Go FURIA! Today is hunting day for Art, headshots from Yuurih, and clutch moments from Kscerato!"
In 2023, he attended a Rio de Janeiro CS:GO tournament, comparing the atmosphere to the FIFA World Cup. He even attempted to invest in the organization. A source stated, "For years, he tried to buy FURIA or a share of it, negotiating and waving money around, but FURIA declined. Now they've officially partnered, and I think Neymar finally got his piece of FURIA. He's been trying for six years."
Neymar's Ties to Esports Extend Beyond FURIA
He's played exhibition matches with Fallen and socialized with s1mple. His close friendship with FURIA CEO Andre Akkari (a professional poker player and 2016 Olympic torchbearer) is noteworthy; Neymar often consults Akkari on poker strategy. Akkari notes, "He's incredibly smart. Every day, he asks me about hands and techniques. He sends me WhatsApp messages with hands from his home games, asking how I'd play them in a World Series or EPT setting."
With Neymar's leadership and passion, FURIA is well-positioned for success in media football and esports.
