Aston Villa and Manchester United will compete in this year’s Women’s World Sevens tournament, which is being hosted in England for the first time at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
The third staging of the competition runs from 28 till 30 May, finishing the day before the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley. United are taking part for the second time. Villa? They are debutants.
The remaining six clubs all from the Women’s Super League, will be confirmed over the coming weeks. This is an English hosted, English dominated affair.
“It’s a great opportunity to be part of something a little different in the women’s game and we’re looking forward to it,” said Villa’s managing director Maggie Murphy.
What is the World Sevens?
Think fast. Think flair. Think no offsides, 15 minute halves, and pitches half the usual size. Rolling substitutes. Unlimited changes. Festival vibes.
The format is designed to bring out attacking intent and creativity. Each team plays between three and five matches over three days, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi finals.
Squads can include up to 14 players. Rolling subs are unlimited. And off the pitch? Live DJ sets, smoke cannons, and free merchandise for fans. It is football, but not as you know it.
The prize money situation
Previous events in Estoril and Fort Lauderdale offered a prize pool of $5m (£3.76m) spread across eight teams. Bayern Munich won the inaugural tournament and banked £1.8m ($2.5m). San Diego Wave won the North American edition in December.
This time, the pool is lower: $1.5m (£1.1m). The winner gets $500,000 (£372,000). The runner up receives $250,000 (£186,000).
Why the drop? Organisers are still assessing where best to distribute funds globally. The tournament was co founded by American entrepreneurs Jennifer Mackesy and Justin Fishkin. Mackesy minority owner of Gotham FC and Chelsea has invested $100m in the competition over five years. That is a long term play, not a quick cash grab.
Prize money is split evenly among the top four finishers: 50% goes directly to players and staff, the other 50% to the club to distribute as they see fit.
Why England?
English clubs generate the most revenue in women’s football. According to Deloitte analysis in January, Arsenal top the charts. The WSL is the richest league in the world. It makes sense to host the tournament here.
Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium has pedigree too. It hosted Euro 2022 matches and the 2026 Champions Cup. Now it adds the World Sevens to its CV.
What comes next?
All matches will be shown on DAZN. Organisers have previously said they could host up to three World Sevens competitions a year across multiple continents. This is not a one off. It is a project.
For Villa and United, it is a chance to compete for silverware, test their squads in a unique format, and pocket some prize money along the way.
For the fans, it is a festival. Smoke cannons. DJ sets. Free merch. And football that prioritises goals over geometry.
The remaining six teams will be announced soon. The tournament kicks off on 28 May. And for one weekend at least, Brentford becomes the centre of the women’s football world.
