The San Diego Wave FC captured the inaugural North American edition of the World Sevens Football tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by defeating Liga MX Feminil’s Club Tigres 3-0 in the final on Dec. 7 to claim a portion of the $5 million prize money.
The Wave, which cashed in on $2 million, was the only team to go undefeated throughout the competition and secured a shutout in the championship match.
In the final, Adriana Leon scored two goals, while forward Makenzy Robbe added her fourth goal of the tournament, tied for the second-most by any player in the competition. San Diego’s Gia Corley earned the Breakout Player of the Tournament award and goalkeeper DiDi Haracic received the Golden Glove award.
San Diego delivered a dominant tournament run in the eight-team field, finishing first in the group stage and going undefeated across all matches. The Wave advanced to the championship after a commanding 5–1 semifinal victory over Brazil’s Clube de Regatas do Flamengo. Across the tournament, the Wave out-scored opponents 15-3.
The tournament introduced a fast-paced seven-versus-seven play with 15-minute halves on a pitch half the size of a traditional field, utilizing rolling substitutions, quick restarts. and W7F’s signature “no-draws” format that ensures a decisive result in every match.
It produced a high-energy environment where players were encouraged to have fun. Every game had music to match the vibe.
“I thought after Portland that this would not be the end of our season,” Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said. “I thought, ‘It’s impossible it’s going to end this way .And it was because it ends here. We’re the champions. We won, and we won it our way.”
The Wave went 3-0 in three Group 2 matches with 3-1 wins over Colombia’s Deportivo Cali and Uruguay’s Nacional and a 1-0 shootout win following nil-nil draw against Club America.
In the semifinals, Tigres defeated Club America, 2-1, while Club America defeated Flamengo, 1-0, in the third-place match.
