What if soccer had an all-star game? Scratch that: what if soccer had eight all-star teams representing eight major leagues — English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, Spanish LaLiga, Major League Soccer, Mexico’s Liga MX, French Ligue 1 and Dutch Eredivisie — and we put those teams head-to-head in a tournament to determine which league is the best in the world?
Welcome to ESPN’s BATTLE OF THE LEAGUES, presented by EA Sports FIFA 22.
After the runaway success of last season’s tournament, we’ve amped it up for 2021, giving new managers and leagues a chance to take down (spoiler alert!) last year’s BOTL champion, France’s Ligue 1, which prevailed over stiff competition to take the inaugural crown. (Most remarkable of all: Lionel Messi wasn’t even at Paris Saint-Germain yet!)
Of course, the big five European leagues are present from England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy, plus our North American friends from Major League Soccer and Liga MX, and we’re giving the Dutch Eredivisie a shot in the final spot this time around to see if the heaviest hitters from Ajax and PSV Eindhoven can make their mark.
And so, we ask the burning questions again, and with a lot of star power having shifted leagues in last summer’s transfer window.
Can Messi, in his new home, lead the best of France to a repeat victory? Or will Cristiano Ronaldo help elevate the Premier League to its presumed perch as the best in the world? Will the Bundesliga, helmed by the cream of Bayern Munich — and last season’s runner-up, Gab Marcotti — manage to get revenge for a shock defeat? Or will Kay Murray’s canny Serie A side do the business and restore calcio as the home of the world’s best soccer?
With a slightly tweaked competition format and some enthusiastic coaches — oh, and FIFA 22 — we’re ready to do battle.
Jump to: The rules and format | The schedule | Group A teams | Group B teams
THE RULES / THE FORMAT / HOW THIS WORKS
The rules were strict when it came to squad selections given…
Source : espn
