This past Sunday, the World Sevens women’s tournament crowned its second champion during its inaugural U.S. edition, featuring teams from North, Central, and South America in the innovative seven-on-seven soccer format.
The NWSL‘s San Diego Wave FC triumphed over Mexico’s Tigres UANL with a score of 3-0 in the final held at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, wrapping up the three-day tournament. The total prize pool for the event was $5 million, with the Wave receiving $2 million as the champions.
The inaugural World Sevens tournament took place in Portugal in May, primarily featuring European teams, with the German women’s team from Bayern Munich emerging victorious.
The World Sevens format diverges from traditional soccer; matches last only 30 minutes, divided into two 15-minute halves, and are played on a smaller field. There are no offsides and unlimited rolling substitutions. The ambiance in Fort Lauderdale was vibrant, with continual music and lively player entrances on the field.
The World Sevens event draws parallels to Unrivaled, a three-on-three women’s basketball tournament created by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, providing WNBA players an opportunity to enhance their earnings during the offseason.
Both tournaments harness the increasing enthusiasm for women’s sports.
World Sevens co-founder Jen Mackesy, who also invests as a minority owner in the NWSL’s Gotham FC, remarked, “I’m aware of the hard work these women’s teams are putting in to develop their clubs and brands. We saw this platform as a fantastic opportunity to showcase them to a broader audience.”
In addition to the Wave and Tigres UANL, other participating teams included Mexico’s Club America, Colombia’s Deportivo Cali, Brazil’s Flamengo, Uruguay’s Nacional, Canada’s SFC Toronto, and the NWSL’s Kansas City Current.
The matches were streamed for free on DAZN and aired on TNT, TruTV, and HBO Max.
Sarah Cummins, CEO of World Sevens, stated, “This moment offers the ideal chance to implement something unique and innovative in women’s sports. The interest and partnerships we’ve received from various leagues, including the NWSL, WSL, and Liga MX, show that they recognize the value of what we aim to achieve for their growth.”
With plans for future tournaments and potential expansion, organizers are eager to give fans the chance to see players and teams they might not otherwise encounter. The events also provide bench players with more playing time and come with appealing prize money for the teams involved.
Mackesy added, “We’re excited about our accomplishments so far and are eager to expand. We want to establish regional tournaments and bring the World Sevens format to different leagues across the globe. There’s significant interest from various regions and clubs.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.