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 dr …
