Wave open 7-on-7 soccer tournament, with $2 million going to winner

The San Diego Wave will return to the soccer field on Friday for a 7-on-7 tournament featuring a $5 million prize pool.

The World Sevens Football event will be held this weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Wave open the tournament against Colombia’s Deportivo Cali at 3 p.m. Friday. The match will air on Tune-In on TNT and TruTV and will stream on HBO Max and DAZN.

San Diego’s National Women’s Soccer League team is playing in the same bracket at Cali, Nacional from Argentina and Club América from Mexico.

The opposite bracket includes the NWSL’s Kansas City Current as well as Club Tigres from Mexico, AFC Toronto from Canada, and Flamengo from Brazil. The winning team will receive $2 million, with the runner-up getting $1 million and the third-place team bringing home $700,000.

The 7-on-7 format promises fast-paced action, with the field cut in half and only seven players per side. Matches consist of two 15-minute halves, where 11-on-11 soccer is played in two 45-minute halves.

Rolling substitutions, similar to hockey, allow players to enter and exit freely with no limit on the number used.

“I think the biggest difference is how fast-paced it is,” Wave defender Kennedy Wesley said. “Obviously, it’s a smaller field, less players. I think everyone’s getting a lot of touches on the ball, lots of shooting, scoring. So that high-paced liveliness, I think, will bring a lot of excitement to the crowd.”

There are no draws in this tournament. If a match is tied after regulation, teams go to sudden death while removing two players each. If still tied, the match is decided by penalty kicks.

Bayern Munich won the inaugural W7F tournament in May 2025. The event will also include awards such as the Golden Ball (best player), Golden Boot (top scorer), Breakout Player and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).

Two players who seem tailor-made for this format are wingers Delphine Cascarino and Dudinha. Their speed and creativity should thrive in a wide-open, high-tempo environment. Dudinha enters in strong form — she scored five goals in the final six matches of the NWSL season and added a goal and an assist for Brazil’s national team in its 5-0 win over Portugal on Tuesday.

The Wave are bringing the following 18 players to Florida. Wesley says it’s “really creative, technical and kind of gritty group all at the same time.”

As for how the Wave’s style of play will fit with the new format?

“I think all of our combinations on the field, we get really short connections, and love to play really quick, fast passes,” Wesley said. “We have so many players that are really good on the dribble, 1-v-1, so I think all of those characteristics together will work out really well for us.”

Midfielders Gia Corley and Kenza Dali will be tasked with pushing the attack forward and distributing to the front line. Defenders Hanna Lundkvist and Perle Morroni could also play key roles, not only in buildup play but in scoring chances, as both showed some attacking ability this past season.

The tournament also offers the Wave an opportunity to face international competition and potentially scout talent for future signings.

“We haven’t competed against so many of these countries before, so everyone’s going to bring something different to the table, and it’ll be really exciting to see how it comes together,” Wesley said.

World Sevens Football: San Diego Wave FC vs. Deportivo Cali

When: 3 p.m. Friday

Where: Beyond Bancard Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

TV: Tune-In on TNT and TruTV

Streaming: HBO Max and DAZN