AFC Toronto Wrap Historic World Sevens Football Campaign with a 3-2 Win over NWSL's Kansas City Current
NSL AFC Toronto

AFC Toronto Wrap Historic World Sevens Football Campaign with a 3-2 Win over NWSL's Kansas City Current

Published on December 8, 2025 under Northern Super League (NSL)
AFC Toronto News Release


Fort Lauderdale, FL - AFC Toronto wrapped a historic World Sevens Football (W7F) campaign on Saturday afternoon, winning 3-2 over the 2025 NWSL Shield winning Kansas City Current. Toronto finished the tournament third in their group with a 1-2 record, led by standout performances from Kaylee Hunter, Esther Okoronkwo, and Nikayla Small.

World Sevens Football is a fast-paced and innovative 7v7 tournament featuring top women's clubs from around the world, broadcasted internationally on TNT and DAZN. The competition marked the end of a memorable inaugural season for AFC Toronto, which included capturing the Northern Super League's first-ever Supporters' Shield and finishing as Finalists in the 2025 NSL playoffs. As the league's regular season champions, AFC Toronto earned the opportunity to represent the NSL at World Sevens Football.

Image courtesy of AFC Toronto, additional media assets available here.

AFC Toronto's strong showing at the tournament showcased the growing talent pool being fostered in the NSL, including 17-year-old Kaylee Hunter, who finished the tournament with three goals and two assists. Additionally, Esther Okoronkwo put up two goals and an assist for Toronto, and Nikayla Small contributed a goal and an assist. Capped off with a win over the NWSL's Kansas City Current, AFC Toronto made a statement that they can compete with the best in the world.

"Going head-to-head with these world-class clubs was a thrilling experience," said AFC Toronto head coach Marko Milanović. "It's amazing to see AFC Toronto not just compete, but thrive on the international stage. This team has worked extremely hard all year, and we proved this weekend that we belong amongst the best in the world."

"I'm so proud of how we performed at this tournament," said AFC Toronto midfielder Nikayla Small. "It's a tremendous honour to represent Toronto and the Northern Super League on the global stage. We've accomplished so much in our inaugural season, and I can't wait to keep it going next year."

Here's a recap of AFC Toronto's three matches:

AFC Toronto 2 - 3 Club Tigres

AFC Toronto - Esther Okoronkwo (5'), Nikayla Small (17')

Club Tigres - María Sánchez (6', 21', 23')

AFC Toronto began their tournament on Friday evening against Club Tigres, champions of Mexico's Liga MX Femenil. Esther Okoronkwo opened the scoring for AFC Toronto five minutes in, stealing the ball at half and charging in to bury it bottom corner. After Tigres quickly leveled it, Nikayla Small later made good on a pass from Kaylee Hunter to give Toronto the lead once again. Club Tigres edged Toronto out with a hat trick from María Sánchez.

AFC Toronto 2 - 2 Flamengo (Flamengo win 2-1 on PKs)

AFC Toronto - Kaylee Hunter (3'), Ashley Cathro (20')

Flamengo - Glaucia (3'), Ju Ferreira (30')

AFC Toronto opened matchday two with a hard-fought contest against top Brazilian club Flamengo. Three minutes in, Nikayla Small battled the ball in for Toronto and connected with Kaylee Hunter, who found the back of the net for her first of the tournament. Later, Ashley Cathro converted on a free kick to give Toronto a 2-1 lead. Flamengo scored a late equalizer to force extra time, taking the game in penalty kicks.

AFC Toronto 3 - 2 Kansas City Current

AFC Toronto - Kaylee Hunter (8', 12'), Esther Okoronkwo (29')

Kansas City Current - Alex Pfeiffer (2', 16')

AFC Toronto finished with a historic victory over the Kansas City Current, the 2025 NWSL Shield winners. After Kansas City opened the scoring, Kaylee Hunter put Toronto on the board with a sliding goal off a pass from Esther Okoronkwo. Minutes later, Hunter completed her brace with an impressive shot from a sharp angle. Okoronkwo then buried the game-winner late, finishing a ball played in by Hunter and securing the team's first international win.

More from Fort Lauderdale:

Adrian Jacob, Head of Football at World Sevens: "Our entire team at World Sevens Football has been blown away by AFC Toronto's debut on the international stage; they played with ambition, fearlessness, seamless teamwork, and real quality against some of the most established clubs in the Americas. Their performances underlined the strength and depth of the Northern Super League, and we are incredibly proud to support a league that is growing at a meteoric pace and attracting world ‚¬â€˜class talent to its clubs and communities."

AFC Toronto Co-Founder Helena Ruken: "What an incredible experience watching this club make its international debut at this exciting tournament. World Sevens represents an innovative approach to football, attracting new fanbases with a premium experience and elite talent, all rooted in the fun and joy of the game. It was a privilege to be down in Florida competing in this electrifying tournament."

AFC Toronto Sporting Director Billy Wilson: "This weekend was a great opportunity for our club to test ourselves against some of the best players in the Americas. When we reflect back on the three games, we are extremely proud of our performances, but we are equally disappointed that we didn't qualify from the group stage. I think we deserved to take more from the opening two games. Overall I think we demonstrated how much talent we have in Toronto and showed everyone that the Northern Super League is a serious competition that's only going to get better."

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Northern Super League Stories from December 8, 2025


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