Masters of Madness: The new football competition of Dries Mertens and Jan Vertonghen

The Masters of Madness football competition, which is supported by the Football Association of Belgium (KBVB), consists of eight teams of ten talented players, both male and female. The teams will be coached by celebrity duos from various backgrounds in sports, media, or the digital world. The matches will be played on a pitch that is smaller than a traditional futsal pitch and will be surrounded by walls that can be used during play. 

It’s Mertens and Vertonghen’s aim to breathe new life into football by offering short, fast, and entertaining matches on a smaller field. The rules will be innovative and sometimes slightly outlandish, putting entertainment and experience first. 

The concept is similar to Gerard Piqué’s Kings League and Toni Kroos’s Icon League, but instead of teams of primarily (former) footballers, celebrities and influencers, Mertens and Vertonghen are looking for unknown talent in Belgium. ‘’Dries and I are really excited to see which outstanding players will sign up,’’ says Vertonghen. ‘’To every talent that didn’t make it as a professional footballer: this is your chance!’’ 

‘’Jan and I aim to make a difference with this new league by focusing on entertainment both on and off the field,’’ says Mertens. ‘’We’ve created new rules, inspired by all kinds of sports and the gaming world.’’ 

When will it start?

From over the thousand players that signed up, 350 will be selected for trial days where they can convince Dries Mertens, Jan Vertonghen and other scouts that they have what it takes to play for one of the teams. 

The competition will start in January 2025 and will be broadcast on YouTube and the Belgian TV channels GoPlay and Play4.