New women's seven-a-side football series launched in Portugal

A new global women's seven-a-side football series has been launched, with the first event scheduled for May 21-23 in Portugal. This competition, called 'World Sevens Football', has attracted a significant investment of $100 million over five years. Each event in this series will feature a prize pool of $5 million. The funding comes from Jennifer Mackesy, a philanthropist and co-owner of the NWSL club Gotham FC. The competition will be broadcast live on the streaming platform DAZN. While the teams for the first event have not been announced, it will include eight teams. A different set of clubs will participate in the second event planned for November-December on another continent. Each winning team will earn $2.5 million. The series aims to prioritize players' interests and has consulted a player advisory council led by former USWNT player Tobin Heath. Other notable members include Caroline Seger and Anita Asante. Aly Wagner, a former US international, is the chief of strategy for the series. Wagner emphasized that this event is a significant moment for women's football, promising it will be a high-quality experience for the players. The inaugural tournament will take place in Estoril, Portugal, in a specially constructed venue for seven-a-side matches. Future events are planned in various cities worldwide, including the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The organizers have been in discussions with FIFA and UEFA but do not expect to require their approval, as the seven-a-side format is not officially regulated.