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.

Ajax's Lotte Keukelaar, Lily Yohannes, and Rosa van Gool celebrate winning the 2024 KNVB Cup.
Dutch side Ajax — club home of USWNT teen phenom Lily Yohannes — will join W7F in May. (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

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.

With a trio of old and new rivalries on deck, the 2025 NWSL season's fifth matchday promises budding top-table rivals, a bicoastal clash, and one of the league’s longest regional feuds.

Plus, with only two points separating the No. 5 and No. 12 teams in the standings, clubs will be focused on securing all three points as they strive to keep up with the season’s three remaining undefeated teams.

While the NWSL’s official Rivalry Week is still months away, this weekend’s key matchups provide some sneak-peek showdowns:

As NWSL teams push for early-season positioning, this weekend’s action promises to up the stakes by tapping into rising tensions and rivalries — both old and new.

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Angel City hires new coach in Bundesliga's Alexander Straus

On Thursday, Angel City announced that the club officially filled its head coaching vacancy, hiring Frauen Bundesliga manager Alexander Straus to take over the LA team after his current season leading Bayern Munich ends on June 1st.

After more than a decade coaching in the club and youth national system of his home country Norway, Straus took charge of Bayern Munich in 2022, leading the German team to back-to-back league titles.

His 2024/25 squad is on track to claim a third straight Bundesliga trophy, and recently exited the competitive UEFA Champions League tournament in the quarterfinal round.

Following manager Becki Tweed's firing in December, ACFC tapped Sam Laity to serve as interim head coach as the club conducted an extensive global search for the permanent position.

"When we set out to hire our head coach, we looked for specific characteristics such as a dominant style of play, a proven winner at the highest level, a focus on player development, a collaborative mindset, and a leader in high performance," said ACFC sporting director Mark Parsons in a club statement. "Alex fits this profile at every measure."

Still undefeated entering the fifth matchday of the 2025 NWSL season, Angel City will continue under Laity until Straus's arrival.

The interim manager will then shift into an assistant coach capacity as Straus leads the 2022 expansion franchise as it hunts a second-ever postseason berth.

The 2024/25 UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals will be decided over the next two days, as the second leg of the home-and-away quarterfinals cuts Europe’s surviving eight teams down to four.

Each of the first-leg victors boasts a multi-goal advantage over their opponents, with three-time UWCL winners — and defending champs — Barcelona leading the way after taking a 4-1 victory from German side Wolfsburg.

Eight-time champions Lyon also have a Bundesliga club on the ropes thanks to a 2-0 first-leg win over Bayern Munich.

Perennial winners aside, the knockout round’s most anticipated storylines belong to the three remaining English clubs: Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

While Chelsea FC is enjoying an eight-point lead on the WSL table, they're position in UWCL play is far more perilous. Earlier this month, former former Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema boosted City over the Blues with a brace in the pair's first quarterfinal meeting.

Thursday will see the second all-WSL clash of the Champions League quarters, as the match also marks an unusual fourth consecutive meeting between the two teams, with Chelsea winning the League Cup final earlier this month as well as the pair's Sunday WSL meeting — both by 2-1 scorelines.

Like the Blues, Arsenal’s Champions League campaign is similarly down to the wire, as the Gunners attempt to climb out of a 2-0 hole against Real Madrid on Wednesday. This time, however, Arsenal will hold a home-pitch advantage, hosting Las Blancas at the iconic Emirates Stadium — a significant boost after a first-leg match marred by particularly slippery playing conditions.

How to watch the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals

The second and final leg of the UWCL quarterfinals kicks off on Wednesday, with Lyon hosting Bayern Munich at 1:45 PM ET before Real Madrid visits Arsenal at 4 PM ET.

Thursday will determine the last two semifinalists, as Barcelona takes on Wolfsburg at 1:45 PM ET before the all-WSL face-off between Chelsea and Manchester City begins at 4 PM ET.

All Champions League matches will stream live on DAZN.

The UEFA Champions League returns to play on Tuesday, as the elite European club competition's round of quarterfinals undoubtedly raises the stakes for the tournament's underdogs.

The quarters will kick off with Real Madrid hosting Arsenal, with 2023/24 runners-up Lyon visiting Bayern Munich to close out Tuesday's play.

Following a near-perfect group-stage performance, back-to-back reigning champs Barcelona will open Wednesday's Champions League action against 2022/23 runners-up Wolfsburg, with a WSL clash between Manchester City and league frontrunner Chelsea closing out the quarterfinals' first leg later that day.

After a tightly contested group stage, the knockout rounds will see the UWCL competition intensify even more as teams zero in on the tournament’s May 24th final.

"In the group stage, you know that you have time to fix things," Bayern Munich defender Magdalena Eriksson told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s match. "Now, it’s crunch time. It’s really important to get that first good result."

"It’s extremely important — it’s a home game," Wolfsburg captain Alexandra Popp echoed. "We will play in front of our home fans, and we want to get a good or even a very good result, because we are aware of what’s going to [await] us in Barcelona."

Chelsea's Catarina Macario and Man City's Jill Roord chase the ball during the 2025 League Cup final.
WSL sides Chelsea and Man City will face off in the UWCL quarterfinals. (Jess Hornby - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

WSL rivals take center-pitch in UWCL quarters

The stakes are even higher for UK rivals Chelsea and Man City, who are currently in the midst of a unique scheduling gauntlet, as Wednesday’s UWCL matchup will be the pair’s second of four straight meetings.

The Blues took the League Cup by handing Man City a 2-1 defeat on Saturday, but the Citizens could enact swift revenge as the two teams will play each other three more times over the next 10 days — including the two UWCL quarterfinal matches that could define City’s season after sacking long-time manger Gareth Taylor.

"We knew it would be hard games," said City newcomer Kerolin. "We’re working this week to do different things and [find a] different way to hurt Chelsea... And now we’re home, so [it] will be special."

Caitlin Foord and Katie McCabe lead Arsenal onto the pitch to train for the Champions League quarterfinals.
Arsenal will kick off the UWCL quarterfinals by visiting Real Madrid. (Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

How to watch the Champions League quarterfinals

The first leg of the UWCL quarterfinals kicks off on Tuesday, with Real Madrid vs. Arsenal at 1:45 PM ET, and Bayern Munich vs. Lyon at 4 PM ET.

Wednesday will see the final pairings face-off, as Barcelona takes on Wolfsburg at 1:45 PM ET before Chelsea hosts Manchester City at 4 PM ET.

All Champions League matches will stream live on DAZN.

The 2024/25 Champions League quarterfinals are officially set, with UEFA drawing the remaining eight teams into the field early Friday morning.

The annual season-long competition pits Europe's top leagues against each other. This season, 72 clubs across 50 different leagues qualified for the contest. From the UK to Ukraine, all teams have been vying for the continent's top-dog status amidst a cutthroat atmosphere and a growing sense of parity in the sport.

Two qualifying rounds narrowed the initial teams down to the 16 contending in the tournament's official group stage. Each played six group-stage matches from October through December to determine the eight clubs that advanced to Friday's final draw.

A screen shows the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal pairings at Friday's draw.
Four previous champions made the 2024/25 Champions League quarterfinals. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The road to Champions League glory in Lisbon

All remaining clubs are now eyeing the May 24th final in Lisbon, Portugal, and Friday's draw mapped each team's path to that championship match. The 2024/25 quarterfinals will feature four former champions and four seeking a first-ever trophy, with both familiar fights and rarely tested toss-ups on deck.

Both the March quarterfinals and April semifinals employ a two-leg format, offering teams who suffer narrow first losses a shot at second-match redemption.

Friday's draw determined that WSL contenders Arsenal will kick off the tournament's quarterfinals against Real Madrid on March 18th, with Germany's Bayern Munich taking on France's 2024 UWCL runners-up Olympique Lyonnais shortly afterwards.

The following day, Bayern's Frauen-Bundesliga foes Wolfsburg will face Spain's 2024 UWCL champs FC Barcelona. Closing out the initial tilts is a WSL standoff between Manchester City and the UK league's undefeated titans Chelsea FC.

Lyon's Michele Kang, president of the winningest Champions League team in history, speaks to the media after Friday's UEFA draw.
Backed by club president Michele Kang, Lyon will seek its record ninth UWCL title this year. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Increased global parity to test UWCL dynasties

With eight of the tournament's 23 titles under their belts, Lyon is the winningest team in UWCL history. Meanwhile, current back-to-back champions Barcelona claimed three of the last four trophies.

Despite the recent two-team domination, capturing this season's title will be a challenge. Hoping to spoil Lyon's and Barcelona's dynastic runs is four first-time title-hunters, plus two-time winners Wolfsburg and early champion Arsenal — who won the trophy in 2007, when the tournament was called the UEFA Women's Cup.

All in all, the European crown has never been tougher to claim, with leagues across the continent increasingly stocking up on standout — and potentially game-changing — players from beyond their borders.

Spanning 72 teams from 50 European leagues, the deepest Champions League tournament in UEFA history starts tomorrow with clubs from the UK to Georgia eyeing Lisbon's late-May final.

Four teams gained automatic entry to October's 16-team group stage — defending UEFA champs FC Barcelona and runners-up Lyon, plus top German finishers FC Bayern and WSL title-holders Chelsea — with this month's qualifiers determining the remaining 12.

Lyon's Lindsey Horan kicks the ball in last season's UWCL final
Lindsey Horan and 2023-24 runners-up Lyon take aim at a ninth UWCL title this season. (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The road to the Champions League group stage

There are two qualifying rounds played concurrently between two sets of teams: The champions path matches up winners from each non-automatically qualified league, while the league path does the same with second- and third-place finishers.

Each path opens with a series of four-team, single-elimination mini-tournaments, in which 59 clubs will enter Wednesday's semifinals with just 15 moving on from Saturday's finals.

Those 15 will join runners-up from top leagues France, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, and Sweden for Round 2 later this month, all vying for a spot in group stage play.

Paris FC's Thea Greboval and Arsenal's Alessia Russo battle for the ball
Last year, Paris FC snapped Arsenal's 16-season UWCL quarterfinal streak. (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Top European clubs battle for Champions League glory

Set to square off against Denmark's FC Nordsjælland tomorrow, Portuguese powerhouse SL Benfica​ has made the group stage every year since the 2021-22 season.

WSL favorites Arsenal saw their 16-season UWCL quarterfinal streak snapped by Paris FC last year, so they'll be hungry for redemption when they face Scotland’s Rangers FC tomorrow. If victorious, they'll be set to face the winner of tomorrow's match between 2024 Women's Cup runners-up Atlético de Madrid and Norway's Rosenborg on Saturday.

Also brewing tomorrow is a battle of the underdogs between Finnish side KuPS Kuopio and Scottish third-place finishers Celtic.

How to watch UEFA Champions League matches

Champions League action kicks off tomorrow at 5 AM ET, with live streaming coverage exclusively on DAZN.

It was Michelle Betos’ night Wednesday in Louisville.

The Racing Louisville goalkeeper blocked the Chicago Red Stars’ first attempt in the penalty shootout, setting up her side to win and advance to the final of the inaugural Women’s Cup on Saturday. There, Racing Louisville will face FC Bayern Munich, winners of the first game Wednesday night over Paris St-Germain.

In a rainy affair in front of a club-record 7,310 fans at Lynn Family Stadium, the game was tied 1-1 after 90 minutes, sending it to penalty kicks. Ebony Salmon opened scoring in the 10th minute for Louisville. Chicago equalized with a goal from Kealia Watt in the 57th minute, and the score held until the final whistle.

Betos earned Player of the Match honors for her winning efforts in net.

Katie McClure scored the penalty-kick game-winner to send Louisville to the final.

Earlier in the night, Bayern advanced to the championship game after defeating PSG in penalty kicks.

The score was tied 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Bayern winning the shootout 5-4 off a Hanna Glas rocket.

Racing Louisville and Bayern will face off for the Women’s Cup title on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. The Red Stars and PSG will meet in the third-place game at 3 p.m. ET.

Chelsea came into the second leg of the semifinal down 2-1, but a commanding four-goal performance on Sunday helped the Blues overwhelm Bayern and secure their spot in the Champions League final.

Scoring opened up in the 10th minute with a well-executed build-up play by Chelsea. Fran Kirby split the Bayern defenders with a perfectly timed run, giving her space to find the back of the net and put her side up 1-0.

Bayern responded in the 29th minute with a stunning goal from outside the box by Sarah Zadrazil to equalize.

Just before the end of the first half, Ji So-yun put Chelsea back out in front with a goal off a Blue’s set piece.

The next goal wouldn’t come until the 84th minute when Jess Carter’s free kick found the head of Pernille Harder, flicking the ball on frame.

Up 3-1, Chelsea’s job was far from over, as Bayern pressed well into the second half, keeping Chelsea on their toes.

It wasn’t until the 95th minute that Bayern’s fate was sealed. A Fran Kirby shot into an open goal put Chelsea up 4-1, securing their place in the final.

Chelsea will play Barcelona on May 16 in the club’s first-ever Champions League final.

MATCH INFO:

Bayern Munich vs Chelsea (Leg 1 of 2)

FC Bayern Campus Platz 1, Munich, Germany

Kickoff: April 25th, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. EST

Bayern Munich will host Chelsea for the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final. Here’s a look at how both teams got here. 

Out of the four semifinalists, Bayern arguably had the easiest opponent in the quarter-finals against Swedish side, FC Rosengård, which was certainly refreshing, given that last season, they were eliminated from the competition by eventual champions Olympique Lyonnais. 

In the first leg, Bayern dominated from the first whistle. Rosengård were set up in a very defensive formation, with hopes that they would be able to keep Bayern out and nick a goal on a counter-attack. However, they situated themselves too deep in their own half, and with Bayern controlling most of the possession, they had ample chances to score. 

The first goal came in the ninth minute from Linda Dallmann, who was left wide open to take the powerful shot. The second goal came about 10 minutes later from Klara Bühl. 

After half-time, Bayern finished it off in the 65th minute with a goal from Lineth Beerensteyn, making it 3-0.

From there on out, they defended well and ensured that Rosengård would not walk away with any away goals.

Going into the second leg, FC Rosengård were much more attacking-minded; they had to be given that they needed to score at least four goals to advance to the semis. However, the match simply became a formality when Bayern’s Lea Schüller scored the only goal of the match, giving Bayern complete control with the crucial away goal.

Going into the matchup against Bayern, Chelsea will already have experienced playing a German team, given that their quarter-final opponent was VfL Wolfsburg, who they beat 5-1 on aggregate. 

Wolfsburg are a team that have had Chelsea’s number in the past in this competition, so the English champions did have a lot to prove going into this tie. The first leg was smooth sailing at first for Chelsea, with Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder scoring in the 55th and 66th minute respectively, giving them a 2-0 lead. 

However, Wolfsburg pulled one back after Dominique Janssen scored a penalty, giving the German side an away goal. 

Going into the second leg with a 2-1 scoreline, tensions were high because of the tight margins. The first twenty minutes of the match was extremely back and forth, and it truly looked like it could be anyone’s game, with both sides getting chances. It was Chelsea who struck first, with Harder scoring a penalty in the 27th minute.

The goal definitely seemed to deflate any optimism that Wolfsburg had, and four minutes later, Chelsea struck again, with Kerr scoring the second.

Fran Kirby made it 3-0 in the 81st minute, ensuring that Chelsea would advance to the semi-finals.

This semi-final matchup will showcase how both teams can handle pressure. Both Bayern Munich and Chelsea have never gotten past the semi-finals in the Champions League. Neither can rely on experience anymore. Instead, it’ll be about who has more grit, determination, and the better tactics to beat the other. Either way, it should be a thriller. 

It seems as though Louisville FC really is looking to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. 

Less than a week after it was reported that Lyon and Barcelona are to play in Portland this summer, the final two squads for The Women’s Cup in Louisville were announced today in a press conference. 

Global soccer powerhouses FC Bayern Munich and Paris-Saint Germain are set to play Louisville FC and the Chicago Red Stars in the inaugural event at Lynn Family Stadium on Aug. 18 and 21. 

“We are very excited to bring two of the world’s best clubs to town for The Women’s Cup,” said TWC director J.P. Reynal in the press conference. “PSG and Bayern will give local favorites Racing Louisville and the Chicago Red Stars a chance to compete on an international stage.”

FC Bayern currently sit atop the table in Germany’s highest division, the Bundesliga. Looking for its first league title since the 2015-2016 season, the club will face Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions league semi finals.

“FC Bayern is the world’s biggest sports family with an incredible following in North America. It is important to connect with our fans on their home soil whenever possible,” said Rudolf Vidal, FC Bayern Munich President of the Americas. “We look forward to bringing our women’s team stars to Louisville and participating in the very first Women’s Cup.”

Meanwhile Paris-Saint Germain currently sit atop Division 1 Féminine in pursuit of its first league crown. They’ll meet Lyon in the Champions League quarterfinal match on April 18th.

The Red Stars are also a force to be reckoned with, finishing runner up to the Houston Dash in last year’s Challenge Cup. 

The announcement was highlighted by Victoire Cogevina, UN Ambassador for Women’s Soccer, who endorsed The Women’s Cup on behalf of the United Nations.