CARY, N.C. - The morning air at WakeMed Soccer Park carried a quiet buzz on Monday, as players from across the globe trickled into the stadium for the first of two media days. The grass was damp but freshly trimmed, the breeze offering brief relief from the early North Carolina heat.
Some arrived juggling a ball, others slung boot bags over their shoulders. Most smiled. But all had the same look - focused, sharp. They didn’t come for vacation.
They came to win. After all, there’s a million dollars on the line.
The Soccer Tournament 2025 is back. The 7v7 World Championships have returned, and the $1 million prize pool returns in both the men's and women's divisions. Six days, 134 total matches, 64 teams in the winner-takes-all competition.
"I'm here to win, of course," former MLS MVP and Italy international Sebastian Giovinco told GOAL on Monday at TST Media Day. "I love the game, whenever I can play, it's always a pleasure."
Giovinco, who scored six goals last year in a breakout first campaign at TST, returns with Kwik GOAL FC in 2025, alongside former U.S. international Jimmy Conrad and former two-time MLS MVP and Canada star Dwayne De Rosario.
In 2024, over 70,000 fans made their way to WakeMed for the tournament, and with it being bigger and better than ever in 2025, there are expectations that they will surpass that mark as stars take center stage this year.
"I think that's what's really cool," co-founder and NBA star Chris Paul told WRAL. "Over the years, we've had a number of people, right? Obviously, Hope [Solo] is there. It's really cool to see Mia Hamm there coaching [the U.S. Women], to see [Chad] Ochocinco there, to see J.J. Watt there, to see Steve Nash and whatnot, and then even some of the teams that come [like] Wrexham, Dortmund -- whatever team it may be, to see some of the guys [it's cool].
"This isn't just messing around. This is a million dollars on the line. So to see the competitiveness that goes into TST, I think that is what makes it special."
In the third year of the tournament, the competition is slated to bring some of the world's most exciting clubs to the U.S., with representatives from Germany, England, Italy, Spain - among others - all competing for the million-dollar prize.
GOAL takes a look at this year's competition, sharing some mouth-watering Group Stage matchups, looking at players to watch, the history of the tournament, and more.