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NWSL expansion fees now match MLS, signaling valuation parity and tightening supply for the final three slots before 2028.
$102.5M
per club and bringing the Haslam family—already owners of…
140 miles
from the nearest NWSL club in Cincinnati
250 miles
from Orlando
$38B
in annual revenue
The National Women's Soccer League awarded expansion franchises to Columbus and Atlanta, charging $102.5M per club and bringing the Haslam family—already owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and NFL's minority stakes—into women's professional soccer. The Columbus franchise, majority-owned by billionaire Dee Haslam and her husband Jimmy, becomes the league's 17th club. Atlanta's 18th franchise was awarded to a separate ownership group. Both teams will begin play in 2026.
The $102.5M entry fee matches the most recent MLS expansion valuations paid by Charlotte FC and St. Louis City SC, a milestone the league has pursued openly since 2022. The NWSL's previous expansion round—awarded to Boston in 2023—carried a reported $53M fee, less than half the Columbus and Atlanta figure. League officials declined to specify whether the Atlanta fee matched Columbus dollar-for-dollar, but people familiar with the process said both groups paid the same amount. The Haslams' Columbus group includes the Crew ownership faction led by the Edwards and Precourt families, who own the MLS club; the NWSL franchise will share Lower.com Field and training infrastructure.
The pricing reflects two forces: scarcity and stadium certainty. The NWSL has five remaining expansion slots before reaching its stated 20-team cap by 2028, and both Columbus and Atlanta arrive with purpose-built or renovated venues already in operation. Columbus will use the 20,000-seat Lower.com Field, opened in 2021; Atlanta's team will play at a yet-to-be-named stadium, though Mercedes-Benz Stadium—home to Atlanta United and the NFL Falcons—is expected to host marquee matches. The lack of stadium risk allowed the league to price closer to intrinsic value rather than discount for development drag.
For sponsors and media buyers, the Columbus-Atlanta pair extends the league's Midwest and Southern footprint without cannibalizing existing markets. Columbus sits 140 miles from the nearest NWSL club in Cincinnati, and Atlanta is 250 miles from Orlando. The league's current broadcast deal with CBS, ESPN, and Amazon runs through 2027; adding two clubs in markets with existing MLS fanbases and corporate sponsor density gives the league leverage in the next negotiation cycle. Dee Haslam's involvement also brings cross-sport credibility: the Haslams' Pilot Flying J truck-stop empire generates $38B in annual revenue, and their NFL ownership ties introduce league-wide relationship capital.
Three expansion slots remain. The league has received applications from cities including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Nashville, and Denver, with decision timelines expected by mid-2025. The next round will test whether the $102.5M floor holds or rises. Cincinnati has stadium momentum; Cleveland offers Haslam family adjacency and Great Lakes market symmetry. Nashville's ownership group includes former NWSL players and private equity backers who have signaled willingness to exceed the current fee.
The Columbus franchise will announce its name, crest, and kit sponsor by summer 2025. Atlanta's ownership group is expected to name a technical director within 90 days.
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