Global seven-a-side soccer venture World Sevens Football (W7F) is on its way Stateside, announcing Tuesday that the second-ever W7F tournament will kick off in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later this year.
After a successful debut in Portugal last May, the eight-team competition will put another $5 million purse on the line when it takes over Beyond Bancard Field, the home of the USL Super League's Fort Lauderdale United FC from December 5th through the 7th.
While European clubs — including eventual champions Bayern Munich — dominated the inaugural W7F field, the tournament is now looking to platform teams based in North and South America for its US edition.
Like the first iteration, W7F will again team up with media partner DAZN for live match coverage from Florida.
W7F boasts a Player Advisory Council that includes the USWNT's two-time World Cup champions Tobin Heath and Kelley O'Hara, plus a trio of former international stars — England defender Anita Asante, longtime Sweden captain and midfielder Caroline Seger, and France defender Laura Georges — all of whom are also shareholders in the upstart.
"We saw undeniable proof of concept [in Portugal]. Now, we're building on that momentum," W7F head of football Adrian Jacob said in Tuesday's press release. "This isn't just a tournament — it's a movement, this time in America, where women's soccer has unprecedented momentum."
The first-ever World Sevens Football (W7F) tournament kicked off in Portugal on Wednesday, as eight European powerhouses compete for the 7v7 soccer venture's inaugural trophy — and a share of its $5 million prize pool.
After winning their first matches on Wednesday, French side Paris Saint-Germain, reigning Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich, and WSL clubs Manchester City and Manchester United all tacked on second group-stage wins early Thursday.
Those two-match leads guarantee each club a spot in Friday's knockout rounds — and a shot at the $2.5 million grand prize — regardless of the outcome of their third and final group play games on Thursday.
Notably, Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes and Man United keeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce both feature in this week's tournament, adding extra time with their club teams before they report to USWNT camp next week.
For Yohannes's Netherlands team, the W7F road will end in group play, with fellow two-loss clubs AS Roma (Italy), FC Rosengård (Sweden), and Benfica (Portugal) facing the same fate.
With another competition in the works for North America this fall, this week’s tournament is setting the bar for what players, teams, and fans can expect from W7F moving forward.
How to watch the inaugural W7F tournament
After the group stage wraps on Thursday, the first-ever W7F semifinal slate will begin at 10 AM ET on Friday, followed by the championship match at 3 PM ET.
All W7F matches will stream live on DAZN.
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.
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:
- Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns, Friday at 10 PM ET (Prime): In the first Cascadia Clash of the season, the Thorns — fresh off their first 2025 win — face a Seattle team trying to turn around a two-game losing streak.
- Angel City FC vs. Gotham FC, Friday at 10:30 PM ET (NWSL+): A classic East Coast vs. West Coast battle sees Gotham chasing Angel City up the table, as LA tries to keep their unbeaten streak alive against one of the league's more dangerous rosters.
- Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, Saturday at 5:05 PM ET (ION): The Pride downed the Spirit at the 2024 NWSL Championship before Washington enacted revenge in the 2025 Challenge Cup, with both powerhouses now aiming for regular-season bragging rights.
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.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TO THE SHIP WE GO 🏆 pic.twitter.com/rAsOS54GgC
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) August 19, 2021
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.
Cool. Calm. Collected. We’re in the final! 😍#AllianzFCBWomensTour | @FCBfrauen pic.twitter.com/0YlYGnKBkz
— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) August 18, 2021
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.
Emma Hayes is the first female coach to reach the Women’s Champions League final in 12 years 👏
— espnW (@espnW) May 2, 2021
It's also Chelsea’s first Women’s Champions League final appearance.
Look at what it meant to her ❤️ pic.twitter.com/oySthFZi4c
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.