World Sevens Football (W7F) confirmed the first four clubs competing in its inaugural tournament on Thursday, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Ajax, and Benfica joining the upstart's first competition this May.

Fashioned after tennis' Grand Slams, W7F is a series of tournaments, bringing together top clubs in major cities worldwide.

The debut three-day tournament will take place in the immediate lead-up to the May 24th 2025 UEFA Women's Champions League final, allowing the W7F launch to strategically capitalize on the excitement surrounding one of the sport's annual tentpole events.

World Sevens eyes multi-continent tournament lineup

W7F is the sport's latest 7v7 venture, with the US-based The Soccer Tournament spearheading the rise of the abbreviated game with its annual $1 million competition.

Like all future W7F contests, May's inaugural tournament will include a total of eight 7v7 clubs. Additionally, teams will compete in matches with two 15-minute halves, all on a field half the size of a full-team regulation soccer pitch.

In each W7F tournament, teams will vie for a share of a $5 million prize pool, with $2.5 million going to the champion while the runner-up banks $1 million.

As for the other four clubs joining the just-announced quartet in May, W7F is still negotiating with various teams, with the possibility of participation from non-European clubs still on the table.

A North American tournament is in the works for this fall, and W7F is also currently mapping out a four-year run-up to create five annual competitions across different continents.

Seven-a-side football is going global, with the newly announced World Sevens Football (W7F) set to kick off in May 2025.

Promising a $5 million prize pool per event, W7F will be a series of competitions in the same fashion as tennis' Grand Slams, with tournaments scheduled in "football-loving cities" worldwide.

Jennifer Mackesy, a minority owner of the NWSL’s Gotham FC and the WSL’s Chelsea FC, is a co-founder of the new soccer venture. Additionally, some of the game’s biggest names are backing W7F, including the USWNT's two-time World Cup champions Tobin Heath and Kelley O’Hara.

Heath is helming the W7F's player advisory council, which includes O'Hara and a trio of former international stars — England defender Anita Asante, longtime Sweden captain and midfielder Caroline Seger, and France defender Laura Georges — who are all shareholders in the organization as well.

Aly Wagner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT and co-founder of the NWSL's Bay FC, is serving as the new venture's chief of strategy.

"I'm so excited to play a role in building World Sevens Football," O’Hara said in a press release. "This groundbreaking format brings a new level of energy to the game while creating incredible opportunities for female footballers to showcase their talent on a global stage — and compete for a very lucrative prize pool."

"W7F is creating a future where women footballers have greater opportunities, financial security, and a bigger platform to connect with fans," echoed Heath in a statement. "This is about legacy — about changing the game for generations to come. And as a 1v1 artist myself, this format is a dream stage for those duels."

W7F to kick off alongside Champions League final

Each event will field eight professional women's clubs to compete in seven-on-seven matches, with teams explicitly in charge of all roster decisions. Games will be comprised of two 15-minute halves, with potential extra time periods for tiebreakers.

The first-ever contest will take place in Portugal from May 21st through 23rd, offering soccer fans an early treat ahead of the May 24th UEFA Women’s Champions League final, with at least one more W7F tournament currently in the works for 2025.

Already the broadcaster of the UWCL, streamer DAZN will be W7F’s global broadcasting, production, and marketing partner.