NWSL to award its 18th franchise this year, with team expected to begin play in 2028

The National Women's Soccer League will award its 18th franchise this year, with the team to begin play in 2028, Commissioner Jessica Berman said Wednesday.

Berman had previously said the league was looking to add another team for 2028 but had not indicated a possible timeline.

The NWSL opens its 2026 season this weekend with two new teams, the Boston Legacy and the Denver Summit, bringing the league to 16 teams.

The NWSL announced in November that Atlanta had been awarded the 17th franchise, owned by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, with that team also taking the field in 2028. The expansion fee was a record $165 million.

“Now we will be 16 clubs across this country, firmly establishing the NWSL as a truly national league with incredible demand and interest for professional women’s soccer,” Berman said in her annual address previewing the new season. “And in 2028, synonymous with what will be our next media rights deal, we will be 18 teams."

Berman announced last year that the league is moving to a “rolling process” for expansion, with no hard deadlines for adding new franchises. The previous expansion round allowed the league to get a feeling for the cities with serious interest in teams.

The Haslam family, majority owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and the Columbus Crew in MLS, have expressed interest in pursuing an NWSL club based in Columbus. A recent U.S. women's national team match in the city drew an announced crowd of 18,545.

The last round of expansion that resulted in Denver's new team included bids from groups in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Berman said Wednesday that there are a "dozen or so" prospective ownership groups in the mix for future franchises.

Adding an 18th team this season for 2028 allows for a more thoughtful process for launching a club, she said.

"I think we have been intentional about extending the ramp up period for all of our expansion teams as we move forward. It’s the reason we’re working on Team 18 in 2026 and hope to give them a very long runway,” Berman said. “It is also the reason that we changed to a rolling process, as opposed to having arbitrary deadlines that are based on our timeline as opposed to their readiness."

Currently, the Houston Dash are up for sale again after talks with RHP Group fell through. Berman said relocating a team is a “last resort.”

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer