Welcome to World Sevens Football – DJs, smoke cannons and £3.7m prize pot
Of all the unique elements to the new World Sevens Football tournament, the Jaws theme tune being played before a penalty kick was perhaps the most striking.
Bizarrely brilliant is the best way to describe the first full day of women's football's new competition.
Few knew what to expect from this tournament, which will earn the winners £1.9 million in prize money. Even the teams competing were not sure what was waiting for them when they arrived in Estoril on the Portuguese Riviera.
An unpredictable DJ, smoke cannons and street-style football was the answer. Telegraph Sport was on the ground in Estoril to take in and assess women's football's new format.
Eyes on the prize
There had been questions over how seriously the competing teams would take the World Sevens. Manchester City left several of their big-name players at home in contrast to Manchester United, who brought a full strength squad.
But it was clear from the start that every team competing want to win. That is no doubt due to the huge prize money available to the winners. The total prize pot is worth £3.72 million while the winners will take home £1.9 million, with a percentage of the money going directly to players.
'For any team who wins it, it would do a lot,' Marc Skinner, the United coach, said of the prize pot.
'If we then get to the point where we can win the prize money, then of course that can be huge for us as well. But more importantly, the players have to enjoy it and that's exactly why we were here.'
Speaking after his side won their second game on penalties, Nick Cushing, the interim City manager, said: 'Because it's new, there's no real jeopardy. If we lost today, we would be disappointed, but it's not like you've been knocked out of the Champions League.
'As the tournament starts to go on, you get closer to the prize money and you get closer to being the first winner, the jeopardy starts to come in and the tactics start to change.'
Fun, flair and vibes
The seven-a-side format means players are not bound by the strict tactics and principles we often see in the Women's Super League.
The whole point of the World Sevens is for games to be entertaining and there was no hint of a low block or a bore draw. In fact, draws are not allowed – with matches having five minutes 'over-time' and penalties if teams are level after 30 minutes.
'I think this format really speaks to the next generation, it's football fun again,' said former United States player Tobin Heath, who is one of the former pros on the player advisory council.
Living in the moment 🤣 #MUWomen || #WorldSevensFootball pic.twitter.com/6D8pMFiDOU
— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) May 22, 2025
'Football has become so professionalised, so prescribed. We're missing the fun, the feel of what football is, what I fell in love with. I don't see it enough anymore. I think it's being coached out too young, too soon. And even speaking to the players, it's been fantastic.'
There was a moment in Bayern Munich's game against Benfica when Tuva Hansen took her shirt off after scoring and was booked by referee Minka Vekkeli. But organisers decided to rescind the yellow card, with the pair then taking part in a light-hearted video.
At World Sevens Football, we celebrate joy! @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/2yFaJ4gPWq
— World Sevens Football (@worldsevens_) May 22, 2025
Most players seemed to embrace the format and, in truth, when else do they really get to let loose and just enjoy themselves?
At the start of each game, the starting seven players are announced on the speaker before they run out onto the pitch. It was clear several found it amusing but many embraced it, with United's starting team all doing cartwheels for their second game. Players clearly enjoyed the opportunity to have fun.
City forward Kerolin said it felt like she was back playing in Brazil while United's Gabby George said players have been able to relax after a tough domestic campaign.
In addition to Hansen, Bayern Munich appeared to be having a team competition for the best goal celebration.
🎣 Bayern ready to reel in another spectacular win 😜
📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN
🗓️ May 22
🔗 Link in bio #DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball pic.twitter.com/WFJ60bzlbt
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025
🍎Bayern moving into the semis like...
📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN 🔗 https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv
#DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball pic.twitter.com/H6iXyRSpFm
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025
'It's enjoyable for the fans, but also enjoyable for us,' George said. 'We've just had a long, gruelling season, we put ourselves under immense stress and pressure because we want to win things. But here we've just been able to let our hair down and show our flair.'
NBA-style atmosphere and the fan experience
At the start of the tournament, the in-house DJ would play music when players went to take corners as well as when goals went in. The highlight was undoubtedly the Jaws theme tune being played before Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes took and scored a penalty against City's Khiara Keating.
🎯 Johannes gives Ajax comeback hope from the penalty spot!
📺 Watch it all LIVE & FREE on DAZN
🗓️ May 22
🔗 https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv #DAZNxW7F #WorldSevensFootball pic.twitter.com/9OkCBPj4nB
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) May 22, 2025
'I don't know if you're familiar with going to any basketball games, but music is such a part of that culture and we're really trying to bring the culture into the experience of the game,' Heath said.
Music during Women's Super League games is something traditionalists would turn their nose up at, and rightly so, but in this format it works.
The crowds taking in games were not huge but given the location that is not a surprise – Portugal is hardly a hotbed for women's football. Many of the teams taking part were not announced until a couple of weeks before and more fans may have travelled over had they been given more notice. That is something that organisers will hope to navigate in the future.
There did appear to be a sizeable engagement with the tournament, which was broadcast for free on DAZN, on social media.
Is the tournament here to stay?
The obvious question is: can the World Sevens become a regular part of the women's football calendar?
It has certainly been a hit with players. The involvement of Heath, and other former pros such as Anita Asante and Caroline Segers, has been key. Competing teams were impressed by the arrangements made for them and how organisers catered to their specific needs.
A lot of the build-up to this tournament centred on injury concerns ahead of this summer's European Championship, and whether players are overloaded. But United's Grace Clinton countered that players would only have been doing the same type of games in training had they not been at the tournament.
'I've heard from a lot of players who are thankful that they have a space to continue to play, to continue to have their fitness, to get their confidence,' Heath said.
'I understand being overloaded, but I can tell you that's like maximum 10 per cent, five per cent, of the footballing population. And I can tell you most of the footballing population, they're being under-loaded. There's so many players that are just craving for minutes.'
World Sevens Football is funded by the United States-based philanthropist Jennifer Mackesy, co-owner of National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC.
It is understood there is a commitment to invest as much as $100 million (£75 million) in W7F over the next five years, with further events planned. A second tournament will take place on another continent between November and December, with different teams competing.
So, the tournament is here to stay in the short term. It will be intriguing to see whether the interest and excitement can be maintained in the long term, but the early signs show there is definitely an appetite among players for the tournament to continue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
24 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangnick singles out big-money Man Utd transfer that ‘doesn't make sense' and slams club's lack of ‘decision-makers'
German revealed the one aspect of his job at Old Trafford that was "difficult" WRECK IT RALF Rangnick singles out big-money Man Utd transfer that 'doesn't make sense' and slams club's lack of 'decision-makers' RALF RANGNICK has slammed Manchester United's lack of leadership and questioned their transfer policy. The German was in charge for 29 games in the 2021-22 season, replacing the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis. Advertisement 2 Ralf Rangnick has slammed the lack of leaders at Man Utd Credit: AFP 2 The former boss also criticised the transfer policy that led to signings like Casemiro Credit: Getty Rangnick was vocal in his criticism of the club during his stint in charge and called for sweeping changes to be made, particularly in recruitment. He has emphasised that argument once again, recommending United move away from a transfer model of signing experienced players like Casemiro, and towards young players. He told Sport: "If I were the owner or sporting director of a club, I would only try to sign and invest in young players. Because no matter how you look at it, it only makes sense. "Does it make sense to spend £30, 40, 50 million on a 28 or 30-year-old signing? Not really. "Let's calculate it. You sign a 28 or 30-year-old with a five-year contract. You spend £50m more on the transfer fee, an average of £15m per year multiplied by five. "That's £65m plus the £50m transfer fee equals £115m, plus the agents' fees. The whole operation costs you around £130m." Advertisement READ MORE ON MAN UTD HERO TO VILLAN? Man Utd fans fume 'get out of our club' at Garnacho's controversial post Rangnick, 66, believes a key problem at United is the lack of leadership at the club. He argues there has been an absence of decision-makers at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, leading to problems on and off the pitch. Rangnick continued: "I think we have to go back to 2013, when Sir Alex left the club. And at the time he was still there, he was the mastermind behind it all. He probably also brought a lot of important people to the club. "And the moment he left, some of those people probably left the club as well. And, since then, I think they have a leadership problem. Advertisement BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS "Who's really making the decisions and why are they making them? Are they really the best people for the job? I can only tell you that the six months I was there, it was difficult to say, even for me as head coach. "Who were the decision-makers? Who? Who could I talk to? If we wanted to sign new players, it was difficult. There were people, but in the end, it was difficult."
Telegraph
24 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Erling Haaland beats ground in frustration as Man City ‘only' win 6-0
The scoreline may have been a thumping 6-0 but for Manchester City it was not quite enough. 'It felt like it cost us in the end,' Ilkay Gundogan, the scorer of two of their goals, admitted while Erling Haaland beat the ground in frustration at the final whistle. What does it mean? City are through to the last-16 of the Club World Cup, after being in one of the most mismatched of groups, but they must beat Juventus in Orlando on Thursday to finish in first place. The importance of that was not lost on the players or on manager Pep Guardiola who implored them to go for more goals at half-time, when they led 3-0. If they had scored seven then a draw would have been good enough against Juventus. And first place means they would avoid Real Madrid in the first knock-out round and more likely face RB Salzburg unless they suffer a shock defeat to the Austrians. And so by failing to show enough urgency and killer instinct it looked like a missed opportunity for City. Gundogan did not pull any punches. 'It felt like we needed the seventh (goal),' the midfielder said. 'We set that as our target at half-time but unfortunately we didn't start the second-half good enough. We were a bit slow. It felt like it cost us at the end.' In a sense it highlights some of the stark imbalances of this tournament that City are even talking about needing a seventh goal in their second group game. Their opponents, Al Ain, an Abu-Dhabi based club owned by the brother of City's Sheikh Mansour, are ranked 586th in the Opta power rankings – five places below Reading. So that puts them in context. 🎥 Gündoğan's second — straight from the ref cam! Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MCIAIN — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 23, 2025 They conceded five against Juventus and six against City – but the Italians then scored four (winning 4-1) against Wydad Casablanca who City only beat 2-0. It means they are level on goal difference but Juventus have scored one more goal and so all they need is a draw. Between them City and Juventus have scored 17 in four games and conceded one goal. But against Al Ain, City did not score in the second half until Gundogan added his second in the 73rd minute – and both his goals were well-taken as were all of them – so that was 28 'lost' minutes against a meagre, beaten opponent when they appeared to be going through the motions. 'It's difficult to find reasons for it sometimes. It's something that shouldn't have happened and maybe doesn't make sense because of the way we performed in the first-half,' Gundogan said. 'It's something we need to observe and get better because at the highest level you should not allow yourself to be not good for such a long time. It felt quite long to be honest. It felt at least five or 10 minutes too long in terms of the standards we have.' When the sixth goal went in – a wonderfully taken effort by substitute Rayan Cherki, his first for City, after a lovey dummy and combination with Haaland – it was telling that the players sprinted back for the re-start, having been encouraged by Ruben Dias with Bernardo Silva tapping an imaginary watch in the dugout. But there were only two minutes left and they rued their complacency and the number of chances they failed to take. 'With one more goal, we would have two options but we only have one now,' Guardiola said. 'It would be better but (what is) important is we are in the next phase. If you want to go through you have to face top, top teams so it does not matter. 'We spoke at half-time to try to score as many goals as possible. Juventus are another opponents and we want to finish first. We have to beat the Italian team. If we are second we will see who we face in the last 16.' But he knows it is likely to be Real Madid. City lost to Juventus – and to Real – in last season's Champions League but are, clearly, a different evolving team with four new signings to add to the four made in January. Cherki's contribution was eye-catching but so was that of Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back following his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Having not had a specialist in that position since Joao Cancelo left in January 2023 – and even he was a converted right-back – it is one area that has now been solved and the 24-year-old Algerian was excellent as he was encouraged to attack by Guardiola. There was also a first City goal, on his first start, by 19-year-old Argentinian Claudio Echeverri with a stunning free-kick although unfortunately he had to go off at half-time due to injury. By then Haaland had added a third from a penalty, after Gundogan's chipped opening goal, with the other scorer being Oscar Bobb who came on as a second-half substitute and scored his first City goal since January 2024 following a long-term injury. But a seventh would not go in and City have, undoubtedly, suddenly made it harder for themselves if they are to win this tournament.
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Rangnick singles out big-money Man Utd transfer that ‘doesn't make sense' and slams club's lack of ‘decision-makers'
RALF RANGNICK has slammed Manchester United's lack of leadership and questioned their transfer policy. The German was in charge for 29 games in the 2021-22 season, replacing the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis. 2 Rangnick was vocal in his criticism of the club during his stint in charge and called for sweeping changes to be made, particularly in recruitment. He has emphasised that argument once again, recommending United move away from a transfer model of signing experienced players like Casemiro, and towards young players. He told Sport: "If I were the owner or sporting director of a club, I would only try to sign and invest in young players. Because no matter how you look at it, it only makes sense. "Does it make sense to spend £30, 40, 50 million on a 28 or 30-year-old signing? Not really. "Let's calculate it. You sign a 28 or 30-year-old with a five-year contract. You spend £50m more on the transfer fee, an average of £15m per year multiplied by five. "That's £65m plus the £50m transfer fee equals £115m, plus the agents' fees. The whole operation costs you around £130m." Rangnick, 66, believes a key problem at United is the lack of leadership at the club. He argues there has been an absence of decision-makers at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, leading to problems on and off the pitch. Rangnick continued: "I think we have to go back to 2013, when Sir Alex left the club. And at the time he was still there, he was the mastermind behind it all. He probably also brought a lot of important people to the club. "And the moment he left, some of those people probably left the club as well. And, since then, I think they have a leadership problem. "Who's really making the decisions and why are they making them? Are they really the best people for the job? I can only tell you that the six months I was there, it was difficult to say, even for me as head coach. "Who were the decision-makers? Who? Who could I talk to? If we wanted to sign new players, it was difficult. There were people, but in the end, it was difficult."
