Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the football stars driving esports' global growth

For years, football and esports existed in separate worlds.

Today, that is no longer the case.

Some of football's biggest names have become investors, founders and ambassadors in competitive gaming, helping esports reach millions of new fans around the world.

From Cristiano Ronaldo's role with the Esports World Cup to Lionel Messi's investment in KRÜ Esports, here are the football stars helping shape one of the fastest-growing industries in sport.

Cristiano Ronaldo

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Few athletes have embraced esports on a global stage quite like Cristiano Ronaldo.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has served as a Global Ambassador for the Esports World Cup, helping introduce the competition to football fans around the world.

His involvement has underlined esports' growing status as a mainstream sporting spectacle, with the Esports World Cup bringing together more than 2,000 players across dozens of game titles and offering the largest prize pool in esports history.

While Ronaldo has built one of football's greatest careers, his support has also helped shine a spotlight on competitive gaming's rapid rise.

Lionel Messi

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Lionel Messi joined the esports movement in 2023 by becoming a co-owner of KRÜ Esports alongside former Argentina teammate Sergio Agüero.

The organisation has become one of Latin America's leading esports brands, competing in games including VALORANT, Rocket League and League of Legends.

Messi's arrival demonstrated just how attractive esports has become for the world's biggest sporting stars, with his investment bringing even greater global attention to the organisation.

Sergio Agüero

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Long before Messi became involved, KRÜ Esports was the vision of Sergio Agüero.

The former Manchester City striker founded the organisation in 2020, combining his passion for gaming with his profile as one of football's most recognisable players.

Since then, KRÜ has established itself as a regular competitor on the international stage and has become one of the biggest organisations in Latin American esports.

Gerard Piqué

Gerard Piqué has become one of the most influential figures linking traditional sport and digital entertainment.

Alongside streamer Ibai Llanos, the former Barcelona defender co-founded KOI, one of Europe's fastest-growing esports organisations.

KOI has competed across multiple top-tier titles, while Piqué has also helped blur the lines between football and online entertainment through the Kings League.

Casemiro

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Brazil international Casemiro entered esports by founding Case Esports in 2020.

Initially focused on Counter-Strike, the organisation has expanded into several major titles and become one of Spain's best-known esports brands.

Casemiro has remained actively involved while continuing his football career, highlighting the increasing crossover between elite athletes and competitive gaming.

David De Gea

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Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has transformed his love of gaming into one of Spain's fastest-growing esports organisations.

Rebels Gaming competes across multiple esports, including League of Legends, VALORANT and Rainbow Six Siege.

The organisation has also attracted investment from fellow footballers, underlining the growing interest the sport has in esports.

Thibaut Courtois

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has long been known as one of football's biggest gamers.

That passion led him to invest in DUX Gaming, an organisation competing across several esports while also expanding into traditional football ownership.

Courtois has frequently spoken about his enthusiasm for gaming, making him one of the sport's most visible supporters of the esports industry.

Watch the Esports World Cup 2026 on DAZN

Fans can watch the Esports World Cup 2026 live and for free on DAZN throughout the seven-week competition.

This is available on the DAZN app across a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles, or watch through any web browser at DAZN.com.

Coverage is available globally, excluding China, South Korea, the CIS region, Ukraine, Malaysia, Hungary and Finland. Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 are also unavailable in Peru.

To watch live follow these steps:

1. Download the DAZN app on your preferred device or visit DAZN.com.
2. Sign up for a free DAZN account, or log in if you already have one.
3. Search for Esports World Cup or browse the esports section.
4. Select the tournament you want to watch and start streaming live.