AFC Toronto leaves the World Sevens Football tournament on a winning note

DAVIE – AFC Toronto exited the World Sevens Football seven-a-side tournament on a winning note Saturday, edging the Kansas City Current 3-2.

But two prior losses meant the Northern Super League team will not make Sunday’s semifinals at the eight-team US$5 million tournament.

It’s the inaugural North American edition of the seven-a-side tournament. The Bayern Munich women won the inaugural competition, defeating Manchester United 2-1 in May in Estoril, Portugal, for the US$2.5 million winners share — with US$1 million going to the players.

Each game lasts 30 minutes on a pitch about half the size of a normal field, with no offsides. Teams can dress 16 players per game, with unlimited substitutions on the fly.

Teenage striker Kaylee Hunter scored two goals and set up Esther Okoronkwo’s winner against the NWSL’s Current, outmuscling a defender and managing to prevent the ball from going out before sending it across goal for the Nigerian international to knock home.

Toronto came close to winning its two previous outings. It led Tigres Femenil 1-0 and 2-1 on Friday before the Mexican side rallied to win 3-2.

And earlier Saturday, the Northern Super League team seemed headed for a 2-1 win over Flamengo. But the Brazilian side, with its goalkeeper pulled for an extra attacker, stayed alive when Ju Ferreira scored with 20 seconds remaining. Five minutes of extra time failed to solve anything, setting up a penalty shootout.

Fernanda and Cristiane converted Flamengo’s first two kicks. Hunter was good on Toronto’s first attempt but goalkeeper Vivi Holzel stopped Okoronkwo’s shot to win it for the Brazilians.

Other teams competing are the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, Uruguay’s Nacional, Colombia’s Deportivo Cali and Mexico’s Club America.

Toronto was invited to the tournament after topping the NSL regular season standings at 16-6-3. It last played Nov 15, losing 2-1 to the Vancouver Rise in the NSL championship game.

The seven-a-side competition is a festive affair, with music playing throughout the games and players trying to outdo each other with choreographed player introductions and creative goal celebrations.

The tournament is taking place at Beyond Bancard Field at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla., the former training camp home of the Miami Dolphins. The 7,000-capacity stadium is now home to Fort Lauderdale United FC, whose men’s and women’s teams compete in USL League Two and the USL W League, respectively.

The May tournament in Europe also featured Paris Saint-Germain (France), Manchester United (England), Ajax (the Netherlands), AS Roma (Italy), Benfica (Portugal) and Rosengård (Sweden).

Canadian international Simi Awujo, playing for Manchester United, was named the tournament’s Breakout Player.

The tournament co-founder is U.S.-based philanthropist Jennifer Mackesy, a co-owner of NWSL champion Gotham FC and minority stakeholder in Chelsea Women.

The competition requires clubs to share a portion of their prize money with staff and players, although the actual amount is to be determined by the clubs themselves.

World Sevens Football shared the soccer spotlight with the Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami, who met Saturday in the MLS Cup final, a 20-minute drive away at Chase Stadium.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2025