Baller League, the new digital-focused six-a-side soccer competition, has secured a major domestic rights partnership with pay-TV heavyweight Sky ahead of its debut UK season.
Under the deal, every match during the 2025 season will be shown live on Sky Sports’ linear channels and its subscription OTT service Now.
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Baller League has already conducted two seasons in Germany with the backing of several popular social media and streaming personalities like KSI and soccer legends such as Luis Figo and Ronaldinho.
The UK season, which will be played weekly at the Copper Box Arena in London, will see a new host of soccer legends, social media stars, and cultural icons manage the 12 competing teams, including Deportrio (Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Gary Lineker), 26ers (John Terry), and N5 FC (Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg).
The competition kicks off on March 24 and will run for 11 consecutive weeks, with each week featuring six 30-minute matches. The top four teams taking part in the semi-finals and the final to determine the season’s winner.
The rights add to Sky’s domestic soccer portfolio, which includes the top-tier Premier League, second-tier EFL, Scotland’s SPFL, and women’s WSL. The broadcaster also has rights to Germany’s top-tier Bundesliga.
The major broadcast deal comes a day after Baller League announced mobile network operator O2 as the headline sponsors of the league’s UK launch.
Through the partnership Virgin Media and O2 customers will get exclusive access and rewards via its Priority program, including tickets, the chance to win VIP experiences on match days, and more.
Baller League chief executive Felix Starck has said: “We’re delighted to welcome O2 as our headline partner for the UK launch of Baller League. A brand that truly understands the cultural power of sport and entertainment, O2 shares our vision for delivering a bold, dynamic football experience that will authentically connect and excite fans.”
Last month the league secured major investment from Portugal-based private equity firm Apex alongside a host of high-profile soccer players to expand the Baller League’s operations, scaling production operations and hiring more staff to support the international expansion into the UK and another major market as well as covering the operational costs of its matchdays.
Apex's backing was part of an overall investment of €23 million ($24.1 million) in series A funding into the competition, with EQT Ventures leading the funding round, and Courtside Ventures also participating.
A prior funding round conducted by the competition in 2024 generated $8 million in investment.
