The World Sevens tournament 2026 day 1 delivered drama, goals and high-tempo football throughout an entertaining opening day in London, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa all producing statement performances.
Chelsea ended Day 1 top of Group 1 after back-to-back victories, securing their ticket to the semi-finals. While Manchester United and Aston Villa impressed in Group 2 ahead of a decisive second day of group-stage action. Watch it live on DAZN.
Chelsea Beat Everton in Seven-Goal Thriller
Chelsea 4-3 Everton
The Blues opened their World Sevens campaign with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Everton in one of the standout matches of Day 1.
The Blues started brightly and took the lead through Erin Cuthbert, who finished calmly after excellent work from Sandy Baltimore. Everton responded quickly when a dangerous attack forced an own goal from Chelsea goalkeeper Livia Peng before Katja Snoeijs completed the turnaround to hand Everton a 2-1 lead at the break.
Chelsea emerged with greater intensity in the second half and Aggie Beever-Jones levelled the match with a close-range finish. The relentless pace of the World Sevens continued to create chances at both ends before Chelsea regained control through Sjoeke Nüsken, who fired home after a clever through ball from Lauren James.
Everton refused to fade away and Hikaru Kitagawa equalised late on to make it 3-3, setting up a tense finale. However, Chelsea had the final word in extra time as Beever-Jones struck again after combining brilliantly with James to seal a thrilling victory.
The contest perfectly showcased the attacking chaos and entertainment of the W7F, with both sides committing players forward from start to finish.
Leicester City Hold Off London City Lionesses
London City Lionesses 1-2 Leicester City
Leicester City claimed a hard-fought 2-1 win over London City Lionesses in an entertaining World Sevens clash on Day 1. The Foxes made the brighter start and took an early lead through Nelly Las, whose close-range header found the bottom corner after sustained pressure. London City responded well and created several openings of their own, with goalkeeper Katie Keane producing important saves to deny Poppy Pattinson and Corinne Henson during an open first half.
The fast tempo continued after the break as both sides rotated heavily in typical World Sevens fashion. Leicester looked dangerous on the counterattack and doubled their advantage midway through the second half when Rosella Ayane finished calmly from inside the box following strong work from Sarah Mayling.
London City pushed hard to get back into the match and eventually found a breakthrough late on. Alanna Kennedy converted from close range after Daniëlle van de Donk helped create the opening, setting up a nervy finish.
Despite late pressure and several blocked efforts inside the Leicester penalty area, the Foxes held firm to secure all three points and cap an impressive opening-day performance.
Manchester United Survive West Ham Comeback Scare
Manchester United 5-4 West Ham United
The Reds survived a dramatic late comeback from West Ham United to claim a thrilling 5-4 victory on the opening day of the World Sevens tournament.
United stormed into a four-goal lead inside the opening nine minutes. Melvine Malard opened the scoring with a superb long-range effort before Elisabeth Terland struck twice in quick succession. Malard then grabbed her second of the match to leave West Ham stunned early on.
Ffion Morgan pulled one back for the Hammers with a header to make it 4-1, but Terland completed her hat-trick shortly before half-time as United restored their four-goal cushion heading into the break.
West Ham improved significantly after the interval and began to threaten an unlikely comeback. Morgan scored again with an excellent long-range finish before Riko Ueki headed home from close range to reduce the deficit further. Eva Nyström then added another late goal to make it 5-4 and create a tense ending.
Despite heavy late pressure, Manchester United held on to secure victory in one of the most entertaining fixtures of the opening day.
Aston Villa Overpower Tottenham in Nine-Goal Contest
Tottenham Hotspur 3-6 Aston Villa
Aston Villa produced one of the standout attacking performances of Day 1 with an emphatic 6-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa made a flying start and took the lead inside two minutes through Noëlle Maritz following early pressure from Spurs. Kirsty Hanson doubled the advantage before Rachel Maltby added a third midway through the first half. Hanson struck again in the 12th minute to give Villa a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
Tottenham responded early in the second half when Olivia Holdt finished neatly from close range after good work from Signe Gaupset. However, Villa quickly restored control as Oriane Jean-François fired home to make it 5-1.
Amanda Nildén pulled a goal back with an excellent long-range effort for Spurs, but Villa continued to threaten and Maltby grabbed her second of the match after reacting quickest to a rebound.
Tottenham continued to push forward late on and Nildén added another goal in the closing stages, but Villa comfortably saw out victory in another high-scoring World Sevens encounter.
Everton Earn First Win Against London City Lionesses
London City Lionesses 1-2 Everton
Everton responded strongly to their earlier defeat against Chelsea by securing a hard-fought 2-1 win over London City Lionesses.
The Toffees opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Ruby Mace fired into the bottom corner after being picked out by Zara Kramzar. Everton controlled much of the opening half and carried a deserved lead into the break despite several promising moments for London City.
London City created opportunities through Nikita Parris and Delphine Cascarino, but Everton goalkeeper Emily Ramsey produced several important saves to preserve the advantage. Everton also remained dangerous on the counterattack, with Rosa van Gool and Toni Payne both going close during an open second half.
The decisive moment arrived late on when Kramzar doubled Everton’s lead with a composed finish from outside the box after combining well with Katja Snoeijs.
London City responded immediately as Lucía Corrales headed home from Jana Fernández’s cross to reduce the deficit and set up a tense finale, but Everton held firm to secure all three points.
Chelsea Overcome Leicester City to Finish Day 1 Perfectly
Chelsea 3-1 Leicester City
The Blues secured their second win of the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City to end World Sevens Tournament 2026 Day 1 top of Group 1.
Chelsea made a perfect start and took the lead inside the opening minute when Erin Cuthbert finished from close range after excellent work from Aggie Beever-Jones. Leicester responded quickly, however, as Noémie Mouchon produced a brilliant long-range strike just two minutes later to level the match at 1-1.
Chelsea continued to dominate possession and create chances throughout the contest, with Lauren James heavily involved in attack, but Leicester goalkeeper Janina Leitzig made several important saves to keep her side in the game.
The breakthrough arrived in the 10th minute when Wieke Kaptein restored Chelsea’s advantage with a composed finish following another assist from Beever-Jones. Leicester threatened an equaliser before the break and came close through Sarah Mayling, who struck the crossbar early in the second half.
Chelsea eventually sealed the win in the 22nd minute when Sandy Baltimore finished a rapid counterattack after combining with Beever-Jones to make it 3-1. Despite Leicester’s energetic display, Chelsea controlled the closing stages comfortably to complete a perfect opening day.
What to Expect on World Sevens Day 2
The final round of group-stage fixtures takes place on Day 2, with places in the semi-finals still up for grabs across both groups.
Chelsea have already secured qualification for the semi-finals after winning both of their opening matches and currently lead Group 1. However, the race for the remaining qualification spots remains wide open.
In Group 2, Aston Villa and Manchester United sit at the top after impressive opening-day victories, but the standings remain extremely tight heading into the decisive final group fixtures.
With the World Sevens Tournament 2026 continuing to produce goals, comebacks and fast-paced action, Day 2 promises more drama before the tournament reaches the knockout stage on Saturday, May 30. Watch it on DAZN or Sky Sports.
| Full World Sevens Football 2026 Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Thursday May 28 | Time (BST) |
| Chelsea vs. Everton | 15:00 |
| London City vs. Leicester City | 16:00 |
| Man Utd vs. West Ham | 17:00 |
| Tottenham vs. Aston Villa | 18:00 |
| London City vs. Everton | 19:00 |
| Chelsea vs. Leicester City | 20:00 |
| Friday May 29 | Time (BST) |
| Man Utd vs. Aston Villa | 15:00 |
| Tottenham vs. West Ham | 16:00 |
| Everton vs. Leicester City | 17:00 |
| Chelsea vs. London City | 18:00 |
| Aston Villa vs. West Ham | 19:00 |
| Man Utd vs. Tottenham | 20:00 |
| Thursday May 28 | Time (BST) |
| Semi-Final 1 (Winner Group 1 vs Runner-Up Group 2) | 11:00 |
| Semi-Final 2 (Winner Group 2 vs Runner-Up Group 1) | 12:00 |
| World Sevens Football 2026 Final | 14:30 |
World Sevens Tournament 2026 Day 1
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