The NWSL awarded its 18th franchise to Columbus on terms that reset the league's growth trajectory: the Haslam family—Jimmy and Dee, owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and a $9B portfolio spanning truck stops and pharmacies—paid $205M for expansion rights. The figure is 117% above the $110M Boston paid in 2023 and establishes a new floor for the four remaining bids the league expects to process before its self-imposed 20-team cap in 2026.
The deal closes the first phase of commissioner Jessica Berman's capital raise. Columbus begins play in 2026 at a temporary venue while the Haslams negotiate a downtown stadium site the family has discussed with city officials since December. The franchise joins Bay FC, Boston, and Utah as clubs added since 2023, when Berman opened expansion to fund a shift from private equity subsidy to gate and sponsorship economics. League revenue per club averaged $12M in 2024, up from $8M in 2022, per filings reviewed by the league's investor syndicate.
The $205M figure matters because it changes the math for the four live bids—Arizona, Cleveland, Nashville, and a second California group—that league sources say are now being underwritten at $225M to $240M. Arizona businesswoman Bertha Miranda has publicly pitched Glendale with backing from a local private equity group; her timeline calls for a 2027 start, which would require board approval by August to meet construction and roster-assembly windows. Cleveland's bid is separate from Columbus and involves a lakefront site the city rezoned in October. Nashville's group includes the Ingram family, which controls $6B in book distribution and barge logistics and has been in quiet conversations with MLS's Nashville SC about shared infrastructure.
The NWSL's $205M price sits 68% below MLS expansion fees, which hit $500M for Charlotte in 2019 and San Diego in 2023. But it's 14x the $15M Racing Louisville paid in 2019, when the league was still operating on a franchise-free model that collapsed during the 2021 abuse crisis. The current cohort of buyers is structurally different: family offices with NFL or NBA anchors, not regional real estate groups. The Haslams join the Wilf family (Minnesota Vikings, Bay FC), the Smiths (Utah Jazz, Utah Royals), and the Kraft family (New England Patriots, Boston) as owners running women's soccer alongside men's franchises that generate $400M+ annually. That cross-subsidy thesis breaks if attendance stalls; Bay FC averaged 14,100 per match in 2024, while Utah managed 9,800, below the 11,200 league average.
The Columbus award also clarifies the league's geographic strategy. The club sits 140 miles from Cleveland, close enough that the two bids were initially assumed to conflict. The league's decision to approve both suggests it is prioritizing speed and capital certainty over market exclusivity, a reversal from 2022 when it passed on multiple Midwest bids to focus on coastal density. The shift reflects Berman's mandate to reach 20 teams before the next media-rights cycle opens in late 2026. The current deal with CBS and ESPN runs through 2027 and pays the league roughly $3M annually; people briefed on early network discussions say a 20-team footprint could command $25M to $30M per year starting in 2028, assuming attendance holds above 10,000 and Apple or Amazon enter as bidders.
The Haslams declined to name a general manager but are expected to hire from MLS or USL front offices, per two people familiar with the search. The family interviewed four candidates in January, including a former MLS executive who worked on Austin FC's 2021 launch. Columbus will play at Historic Crew Stadium, the 20,000-seat venue MLS's Crew vacated in 2021, while the Haslams negotiate a downtown site the city has earmarked for mixed-use development. Construction timelines call for an 18-to-24-month build, meaning a permanent venue could open in 2028 if groundbreaking happens by mid-2026.
Watch for Arizona's bid to formalize by April, when the league's next board meeting convenes in Los Angeles. Miranda has said her group will submit final financials by March 15, a deadline that aligns with the construction window for a 2027 start. Cleveland's lakefront site requires environmental clearance the city expects to complete by May. Nashville remains the wildcard—the Ingrams have committed capital for two expansion teams (MLS and NWSL) but have not disclosed which comes first. The NWSL's policy allows up to two expansion awards per calendar year, meaning the league could approve Arizona and Cleveland by September and still have Nashville and the California bid in queue for 2026.
The $205M Columbus fee is the number other buyers now price around. The Arizona bid was initially modeled at $180M; it's being revised upward.
The takeaway
NWSL's **$205M** Columbus expansion fee resets pricing for remaining bids at **$225M+**, compressing the league's path to 20 teams by 2026.
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