World Sevens is trying to make a name for itself in women's small-sided soccer, with elite European clubs leading the way
Jennifer Mackesy was there in 2024, under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. She heard the beat of the drums, the screams of the crowd, the thud of the DJ’s playlist in the background. There were flags, shouts and an untamed energy about the whole thing.
The event? The women’s beach volleyball tournament at the Paris Olympics. As Mackesy sat there, taking it all in, watching the intensity of the sport perfectly complemented by the “oohs” and “aahs” of those in the stands powered by the the beat of the music, she drew one conclusion: this was what her women’s soccer tournament was going to look like.
“It was one of the most remarkable sporting events I've ever attended, and the level of athleticism and excitement that you saw on the volleyball court was one thing, but the energy in the stadium was like nothing I've ever seen,” Mackesy said.
Those games served as the central touch point for the latest soccer venture into the world of small-sided sports. This is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but World Sevens, co-founded by Mackesy and supported by prominent figures in the women’s game, offers a unique angle – a 7v7 tournament that puts real professionals at the forefront while retaining the fun of other competitions.
“The idea of bringing in professional women's team elite clubs from around the world, to be able to participate in that format, just seemed like an incredible opportunity,” Mackesy said of the tournament, which is set to debut May 21-23 in Portugal.
Small-sided soccer has been around for a while, the professional indoor game chugging along in the background even as 11v11 dominated the conversation. But it has moved into the mainstream in recent years.
The Soccer Tournament, a.k.a. TST, has been held in North Carolina the past two summers, drawing influencers, ex-pros and millions of clicks as a result. Baller League has pieced together some of the highest profile names in the English game. Kings League, founded by Barcelona legend Gerard Pique, draws on all aspects of the entertainment industry – and has now gone global. Even the success of Unrivaled, a professional 3v3 women’s basketball tournament in the U.S., proved that quickened versions of more traditional games can thrive.
World Sevens, its founders insist, is different. Yes, this will be fun. Yes, there will be music. Yes, it will be more action-packed and, at times, more watchable than 11v11 soccer. But crucially, the involvement of eight professional clubs – all vying for a $5 million prize pot – is intended to produce a level of quality that many of the other tournaments fail to bring.
Established professional clubs from the best leagues across the globe have committed to participating. For the May 2025 tournament, there will be eight professional clubs competing, including the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United and PSG.
“They want to win because they have pride and they want to be the best in the world at seven-a-side football,” Mackesy added.
Getty‘Something really intriguing about the format’
The idea has been in the works for some time. Former USWNT midfielder Aly Wagner, who amassed 131 caps and won two Olympic Gold medals for her country, has been flirting with it as a concept since 2023. She saw the annual NWSL midseason break as an opportunity to both keep players fit and offer extra competition.
Buoyed by the knowledge that Pique’s Kings League – another small-sided tournament that integrated bizarre rules – was taking off, she believed that a midseason tournament for pros could not only be entertaining, but perhaps necessary.
“I had seen what was happening abroad with Pique’s event. And I just thought there was something really intriguing about the format,” Wagner said.
Some 18 months later, she was brought into something official. Mackesy, minority owner of NWSL’s Gotham FC and part of Chelsea’s ownership group, had teamed up with USWNT legends Kelley O’Hara and Tobin Heath – as well as a number of other stakeholders in the women’s soccer space – to bring this abstract idea to life.
“They pulled me in,” Wagner said, “and they were the ones who really had put it together – the founding group, the vision and what this format would look like, who would be participating. We pulled it together in around five months.”
AdvertisementThe Soccer Tournament‘Professional athletes in their prime’
The central thesis, Mackesy says, is that World Sevens will highlight the best of the best in women’s soccer, albeit in a unique format. Unlike TST or Kings League, where there is a range of ability on show, the World Sevens organizers are convinced that getting professionals in 7v7 matches in a packed stadium will bring about a new level of entertainment.
There are familiar touchpoints. This will be a glamorous event, debuting this week in Estoril, Portugal. There will be music blasting, and a luxurious player lounge where the founders hope teams will mingle in between fixtures. But while other small-sided tournaments can seem manufactured, in some cases obvious exercises in PR, World Sevens plans to take soccer more seriously.
“It’s still a football tournament, and you're able to see the best players possible playing football, and the product is football,” Adrian Jacob, head of football and former chairman of Chelsea women said. “So we've got all these amazing players and amazing clubs who are taking part.”
The goal is exciting, competitive soccer, a marriage of quality and entertainment.
“They are professional athletes in their prime,” Jacob said. “It's going to be great fun. But as soon as those guys cross the white line, they're not playing for, ‘This is great fun’ and they’re gonna mess around. They all want to win.”
Getty Images‘Been waiting for something as innovative as this’
The list reads wonderfully: Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Man City, Ajax, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, FC Rosengard. Among them, the eight clubs have 32 domestic league titles. Players on their rosters have won World Cups, European Championships, Champions Leagues and Olympic gold medals. We are talking about some of the best in the women’s game.
Narrowing the list down to just eight clubs wasn’t easy, Jacob admitted. He leveraged his numerous connections in the women’s soccer world, and had countless conversations with stakeholders at various clubs.
There was no uniform criterion for picking any given team, he explained. But Jacob found that there was some level of intrigue with whoever he spoke.
“There was no club that said ‘We think this is a terrible idea’ which is great to hear,” he said. “There wasn't one club that said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’“
Some teams, in fact, viewed participation as a perfect opportunity – and one that had been needed for some time.
“There's one club that I can't name, who turned around and said, ‘We've been waiting for something as innovative as this,’” Jacob added.
Getty Images Sport‘What is it that men’s football can’t do?’
The founders insist that a tournament as innovative as World Sevens is hyper-unique to the women’s game. While men’s soccer is well-established, with very little room to grow, the women’s side of the sport still has space.
Players, meanwhile, operate in different ways.
“Whether they like it or not, [women soccer players] have much more of a voice and have much more say on what's happening,” Jacob said. “It's not just a job for them. They're not just there to play football and go home. They're there to make things better for the next generation. They're there to move the goal post.”
Wagner, a co-owner of NWSL side Bay FC, has seen the impact that women’s soccer players can have on the game first hand – highlighted by the slew of changes professionals have brought about in the American game.
“Women in soccer, in particular, actually, really resonate with that younger demographic more than other actual U.S. professional brands or leagues,” she said.
And more broadly, the women’s game still has space to build. It’s clear, particularly in the American game, with the unique Collective Bargaining Agreements in the NWSL, and the USL Super League popping up to rival the top division.
“What women's football does is look at what men's football does,” Jacob said. “Instead of saying, ‘Right, let's copy it,’ they go ‘Actually, what is it that men's football can't do?’ Because we'll do that.”
