Get your tickets: Here’s how to secure your spot for Cary’s 7v7 soccer tournament
For the first time this summer in Cary, 32 soccer teams will face off in a World Cup-style tournament with a goal of a $1 million prize.
The Soccer Tournament, or TST, will take place at WakeMed Soccer Park over four days between June 1-4. The tournament has attracted soccer clubs from around the United States and oversees.
That includes Welsh team Wrexham AFC, owned by Marvel movie star Ryan Reynolds and actor Rob McElhenney. The team will make its United States debut in the tournament.
The Soccer Tournament is hosting the 7-on-7 event with the Town of Cary and is a spin-off of The Basketball Tournament Enterprises, which was founded 10 years ago. The group started off arranging a 32-team, 5-on-5 tournament with a $500,000 prize, but now has a $1 million event with 64 teams.
Tickets for the soccer tournament went live Monday for people who had already signed up for a waitlist, said Jake Pavorsky, director of player personnel and public relations for The Basketball Tournament and The Soccer Tournament.
In two days, 10,000 tickets had already been sold, Pavorsky said.
People can still sign up to buy tickets through a waitlist and by specifying what teams they want to see.
“We’ve just received extraordinary demands and thought kind of the waitlist and breaking it out by supporters of each team was the best way to do it,” Pavorsky said in an interview. “We’re really excited about it and expecting to fully sell-out here.”
How to buy tickets for TST
Tickets are available on The Soccer Torunament’s website, thetournament.com/tst/.
To sign up for the waitlist, fans are instructed to fill out a form with their name, email and select their favorite team playing in the tournament.
This will ensure they receive information by email about team announcements, merchandise and tickets for the games.
Pavorsky said the tournament will continue to sell tickets and allow waitlist sign ups until there are no more tickets left.
What teams are playing in TST
TST will continue to announce the teams playing in the tournament. So far 11 teams have been announced.
That includes Wrexham; U.S. Men’s National Team star Clint Dempsey’s Team Dempsey; British football and e-sports club Hashtag United; Liga MX side Club Necaxa; and US Women, a group of former United States Women’s National Team players organized by player Heather O’Reilly.
On Friday, TST announced the Wolverhampton Wandereres FC would compete. Founded in 1877, they are one of the oldest clubs in England and has one three First league/English Premier League titles, four Second Division Championship titles and four FA Cup titles.
And this week, Charlotte FC became the first MLS team announced to play.
Other stateside teams include the Dallas Soccer Alliance, the Raleigh Rebels, Virginia Dream, and Nati SC.
About the soccer tournament
Beginning June 1, there will be multiple games each day for The Soccer Tournament.
The first two days are group stage games, where each team plays three games a day, Pavorsky said. Much like the FIFA World Cup, there will be eliminations after each game.
Then, the tournament will move into the the final 16 teams, also known as the “Knockout Round.”
The remaining two days are for the quarterfinals, semifinals and the $1 million championship.
Each of the teams had to pay an entry fee to compete, ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. The 32nd slot was auctioned off to the highest bidder, according to TST’s website.
For more information, go to thetournament.com/tst.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Get your tickets: Here’s how to secure your spot for Cary’s 7v7 soccer tournament."