#W7F Is What Happens When Women's Football Meets Festival Culture
- Romy Kraus
- May 24
- 3 min read
The 7-A-Side Reboot: Bayern won the trophy, but W7F might’ve just won the next generation
INTRO: THE SCENE OPENS
In Estoril, where the Atlantic crashes into golden sand, football took a hard left turn. This wasn’t a matchday. It was a format test, a $100 million bet, and a reimagining of what women’s football could look like when rewired for the algorithm age.
Enter World Sevens Football (W7F)—a tournament built for TikTok attention spans but backed by Champions League pedigree. Bayern Munich may have lifted the trophy, but the real win was the message: football doesn’t have to play by old rules.
THE LOWDOWN
Short-form, high-action: 15-minute halves, seven players, no offsides
Star power: Bayern, Man United, PSG, Roma, and more
Breakout performance: 17-year-old Momoko Tanikawa wins Golden Boot & Golden Ball
Prize pool: $5 million total, $2.5 million to Bayern
Digital-first: 161K+ YouTube views on day oneSocial impact: Community Champions and Rising 7s for youth development
Global plans: Five events per year across continents
ACT I: ‘This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Kickoff’
“Fast, fearless, and packed with world-class talent.” — Marc Skinner
W7F flipped the script. Two 15-minute halves. Seven-a-side. No offsides. Rolling subs. DJs blaring mid-play. A tighter pitch with looser rules. It was sport rewritten like a series pilot—with pacing tuned to the scroll.
Think snack-sized matches with highlight-reel potential. It’s not about tradition. It’s about traction.
ACT II: ‘Like Cannes' Red Carpet, But for Cleats’
“It’s a higher intensity, but more free… very unpredictable.” — Grace Clinton
The lineup read like a red carpet: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Manchester City, PSG, AS Roma, Ajax, Benfica, and Rosengård. Elite clubs, new backdrop.
The final delivered drama. Bayern 2 – 1 Manchester United. Teen phenom Momoko Tanikawa stunned with the equalizer. Sarah Zadrazil sealed it with a clutch winner. Tanikawa left Portugal with both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball—imagine a debut that doubles as a breakout role.
ACT III: ‘A Director’s Cut with Equity Points’
“We’re not just creating content—we’re creating careers.” — Tobin Heath
Behind the scenes was a startup-style crew with studio-level ambition. Jennifer Mackesy, Chelsea FC Women investor, teamed up with entrepreneur Justin Fishkin to build something designed to scale, not just trend.
With Tobin Heath and Kelley O’Hara on the advisory board, this wasn’t nostalgia or vanity. It was a strategic play to rebuild the women’s football pipeline—with five global W7F events per year, each part festival, part film set.
ACT IV: ‘Views Over Turnstiles’
“The schedules are going to clear—just look at the prize pool.” — Tobin Heath
3,500 tickets were sold for the weekend. Decent. But the real action was online. DAZN racked up over 161,000 views on YouTube on day one alone.
This wasn’t about filling seats. It was about finding screens—and eyeballs. W7F is playing a different metrics game.
ACT V: ‘What If the Game Was Built for Gen Z?’
“This is about legacy—changing the game for generations to come.” — Tobin Heath
What looks gimmicky to some is strategy to others. The smoke cannons, the music, the pace—it’s not a sideshow. It’s a new center stage. Built for the swipe generation. Backed by serious capital. And set on reshaping the pipeline from girls’ grassroots to global spotlight.
With initiatives like Rising 7s and Community Champions, W7F is positioning itself as more than a tournament. It’s part startup, part social mission.
QUOTES FROM THE FIELD
“Being part of World Sevens Football from its inception is incredibly meaningful to me. This is about legacy—about changing the game for generations to come.”— Tobin Heath
“We expect to see proof of concept after this first tournament and be able to grow it from there.”— Jennifer Mackesy
“World Sevens Football provides an exciting opportunity for our players to demonstrate their creativity and skill in a fast-paced format.”— Alex Kroes
“It’s a life-changing opportunity for whichever team wins.”— Nicola Keating
WHAT'S NEXT
Q: Where’s the next W7F tournament headed?
A: Latin America is up next, with expansion into Asia and North America on the horizon.
Q: Will the format evolve?
A: Possibly. Organizers are exploring tweaks based on player feedback and fan data, but the core—speed, spectacle, shareability—will stay.
Q: Can this scale globally?
A: With major clubs involved and $100 million backing, W7F has the structure and strategy to build a new tier of women’s football. The only question is: will the rest of the football world catch up?
