London, United Kingdom - (May 28th, 2026) — The World Sevens Football (W7F) London Edition exploded into life this Thursday with an action-packed opening day that delivered 35 goals across six matches, electric atmospheres at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium, and a series of standout individual performances.

Chelsea FC Women emerged as the early pace-setters in Group 1, finishing Day 1 with a perfect record following victories over Everton and Leicester City. Aggie Beever-Jones starred throughout the day, scoring twice against Everton before producing a remarkable three-assist display later against Leicester to move top of the tournament’s assist standings.

Chelsea Head Coach Sonia Bompastor highlighted the freedom the format offers players, saying: “The mentality I want my players to have is being brave on the pitch, taking some initiatives, and this format is great for that reason. I think for the fans, it’s great. You can see goals, celebrations, happiness. That’s everything we want to see when you are around football.”

Also speaking after Chelsea’s second win, Beever-Jones praised the energy of the format and atmosphere around the competition. “[Sevens] is where you can bring your personality, you can let your hair down a little bit and have some fun,” she said. “I think the fans, they’re having a great time.”

Manchester United Women also made a major statement on opening day, becoming the first team in W7F history to compete in two editions of the tournament following their appearance in Estoril in 2026. Marc Skinner’s side defeated West Ham United 5-4 in one of two nine-goal thrillers on Thursday, breaking the all-time W7F record for goals in a single match. Elisabeth Terland stole the headlines with a hat-trick, sending her to the top of the scoring
charts after Day 1.

“The energy, the vibe, everything, you can see the players love it,” said Skinner. “They love this tournament, and we’re so glad to be back for our second year.”

The second nine-goal contest came later in the evening as Aston Villa defeated Tottenham Hotspur 6-3 in another relentless attacking display. Across the day, fans were treated to dramatic comebacks, golden-goal overtime, moments of individual brilliance, and the unique flair that has quickly become synonymous with W7F.

Rising Sevens and Community Champions Initiatives

W7F is proud to shine a light on two initiatives at the heart of this tournament: Rising Sevens and Community Champions. Through Rising Sevens, a group of local girls will have the chance to play on this very pitch, in front of this crowd, on Saturday, the 30th of May. For many of them, this will be a moment they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Through W7F Community Champions, each of our eight clubs has nominated a local nonprofit advancing girls' access to football in their community, with every organisation receiving a US $1,000 grant to support that work.

But there's more on the line. The nonprofit backed by the second-place finisher will receive US $4,000, and the nonprofit supported by the tournament winners will take home US $5,000. The clubs playing this weekend are representing: Saathi House (Aston Villa), the Chelsea Foundation's Inspire Her programme, Everton in the Community's Premier League Kicks programme, Leicester City in the Community's Active Girls programme, Sport Sister (London City), the Manchester United Foundation's Girls Development programme, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation's Girls and Women Football Hub, and West Ham's Female Player Pathway Model.