“Women’s football, reimagined,” is how USWNT icon Tobin Heath described the newly launched global tournament of the beautiful game — World Sevens Football. Set to kick off in Estoril, Portugal, the three-day 7v7 competition, running from May 21 to May 23, will feature players from eight renowned clubs competing for a hefty $5 million prize pot per event.
“Bigger moments, better opportunities & real fan access” — that’s the USP of this seven-a-side tournament, making it sound even more exciting than one might expect. Speaking of which teams will be taking part in this emphatic contest, earlier only four names were confirmed by the stakeholders and organizers. Those included AFC Ajax Vrouwen (The Netherlands), FC Bayern Women (Germany), Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portugal), and Manchester United Women (England).
However, earlier today, the final four participating clubs have also been confirmed to officially complete the eight-team slot. Those include Manchester City (England), Paris Saint-Germain (France), AS Roma (Italy), and FC Rosengård (Sweden). All of these big European teams will be bringing their best talent together to compete for the remarkable prize money, while also giving fans an experience of entertainment and more importantly a display of women’s soccer like never before.
It is to be noted that the matches in this 7v7 tournament will be played in two halves of 15 minutes each. The pitch dimensions are half the size of a standard regulation field. As for the format, round-robin group-stage matches will lead into the semi-finals and a final showdown over three days of intense competition. Meanwhile, streaming and broadcasting duties have been assigned to the renowned British OTT platform, DAZN.
World Sevens Football, a new women’s 7-v-7 competition, announces Manchester City, PSG, Roma and FC Rosengård will join Ajax, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Manchester United at the inaugural event later this month in Portugal. There’s a $5M prize pool per event.
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) May 6, 2025
The main objective of the World Sevens Football tournament is to help clubs and players grow their brand presence. It also aims to connect with younger fans and boost investment in women’s soccer. Recently, the tournament appointed longtime Chelsea executive Adrian Jacob as Head of Football. He is the very name that played an instrumental in leading Chelsea Women towards seven WSL titles under Emma Hayes’ reign. Meanwhile, former U.S. midfielder and Bay FC co-founder Aly Wagner will lead the strategic side.
Additionally, Tobin Heath will head the player advisory council, joined by former England and France defenders Anita Asante and Laura Georges, as well as ex-USWNT and Swedish midfielders Tobin Heath and Caroline Seger. Remarkably, the entire tournament is financially backed by Gotham FC minority owner Jennifer Mackesy and her husband, Scott, who have pledged a $100 million investment over five years. Interestingly, Jennifer is also a member of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital group that owns Chelsea.
While part of the motivation behind W7F comes from Unrivaled generating over $38 million since its launch, the tournament follows a different model. “In our platform, we are putting clubs and players front and centre. That’s how we’re working across the key stakeholders: to really grow that investment in the game. That’s where our model is different,” remarked Aly Wagner.
Then again, the biggest irony of WSF is that only teams across Europe contest. Not a single National Women’s Soccer League or any other team across a different country received an invite. Yet, on the brighter side, at least this whole venture sees the involvement of USWNT veterans!
The post Manchester City, PSG and Other European Giants to Face-Off in Upcoming USWNT Veteran’s Headed Soccer Tournament appeared first on EssentiallySports.