A new global 7-versus-7 women’s soccer event is set to launch ahead of the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in May with the promise of a $5 million prize pool per event.
Organizers of the newly launched “World Sevens Football” (W7F) describe the concept as a “grand slam series” that will commence with an inaugural tournament in Portugal from May 21-23 ahead of “future events planned in football-loving cities across the United States, Mexico, Asia, Europe and beyond.”
Eight professional women’s clubs will compete in each event and roster choices are at their discretion, a W7F spokesperson confirmed. Several top global women’s clubs are expected to participate in the events, but organizers have not yet announced participants.
There will be one more tournament later in 2025, ESPN confirmed. Organizers hope to expand the number of tournaments played in 2026. W7F was co-founded by Jennifer Mackesy, a minority investor in the NWSL’s NJ/NY Gotham FC and the WSL’s Chelsea FC, and entrepreneur Justin Fishkin to “provide [players] economic opportunity in a way that truly reflects their value,” Makesy said in a statement.
World Sevens Football formed a player advisory council led by two-time World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist Tobin Heath. Former internationals Kelley O’Hara, Anita Asante, Caroline Seger and Laura Georges are also part of the player advisory council. The council members are all advisors and investors, a W7F spokesperson said.
“Being part of World Sevens Football from its inception is incredibly meaningful to me,” Heath said in a statement. “W7F is creating a future where women footballers have greater opportunities, financial security, and a bigger platform to connect with fans. This is about legacy — about changing the game for generations to come. And as a 1-v-1 artist myself, this format is a dream stage for those duels.”
Bay FC co-founder Aly Wagner, who won two Olympic gold medals in a 10-year career with the United States, will serve as W7F’s chief of strategy. She is an employee and not an investor, according to a W7F spokesperson. The format for the tournaments will be 7-vs.-7 games consisting of two 15-minute halves, and extra time for tiebreakers.
Seven-a-side tournaments have gained popularity in recent years through the launch of The Soccer Tournament (TST), which launched its first dedicated women’s tournament last year with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. TST returns to North Carolina in June with an expanded field of 16 women’s teams.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League final will be played on May 24 in Lisbon at Estádio José Alvalade, the home of Sporting Lisbon.
W7F will take place in the three days prior to the final, at Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, about 18 miles to the west.
The timing of the first tournament comes at the end of most European domestic seasons, but falls in the middle of the NWSL season in the U.S. and makes it unlikely that NWSL teams will participate.
W7F’s inaugural event also directly overlaps the semifinals and final of the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup, which takes place in Monterrey, Mexico, and features two NWSL and two Liga MX Femenil teams.
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