Haslam Sports Group is paying $205 million to plant the NWSL's 18th franchise in Columbus, Ohio, with play starting in 2028. The fee is $40 million higher than Atlanta's winning bid from November 2025, and the gap matters more than the headline suggests.
The deal works two ways. Haslam's $205 million sets the new expansion-fee floor, and under NWSL's stepped-fee structure, Atlanta's commitment automatically rises to match the Columbus number. That means the league collects $410 million across two transactions instead of $370 million, a $40 million swing that wasn't on the board five months ago. Atlanta ownership knew the risk when they signed; the clause was baked into the term sheet. The league gets paid twice at the higher rate, and existing clubs split the delta according to their revenue-sharing formula.
Haslam Sports Group already owns the NFL's Cleveland Browns and MLS's Columbus Crew. The Crew plays at Lower.com Field, a 20,000-seat venue that opened in 2021 and will host the NWSL club until a separate women's-specific stadium comes online. The company hasn't disclosed construction timelines, but the 2028 launch window suggests groundbreaking in late 2026 or early 2027 if the site is greenlit. Columbus becomes the second Ohio market in the league after Cincinnati, which entered in 2024.
The $205 million fee reflects two realities. Media rights are moving. NWSL's current broadcast deal with CBS and ESPN runs through 2027, and renewal negotiations open this summer. League executives have told sponsor groups they expect the next package to clear $60 million annually, roughly triple the current $20 million average. That math changes franchise valuations overnight. Haslam is paying for 2028 economics, not 2026 economics, and the delta explains the fee jump. Atlanta locked in $165 million before the media market repriced; Columbus did not.
The second reality is stadium control. Haslam Sports Group owns the building, the surrounding real estate, and the neighborhood development rights. That's worth $30 million to $50 million in present value if the NWSL club drives 12 to 15 home dates, youth camps, and concert holds. MLS clubs with owned venues run 4% to 6% higher EBITDA margins than tenants; women's soccer clubs will follow the same curve. Atlanta's ownership is negotiating a lease at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Columbus is the landlord.
The fee also resets comparables for the league's next expansion cycle. NWSL has said publicly it will stop at 20 clubs by 2030, which leaves two slots. Phoenix, Detroit, and Charlotte are circling. Phoenix has stadium site control near Scottsdale and a majority-female ownership group assembled by a Carlyle Group partner. Detroit has Ford Field and Dan Gilbert real estate adjacencies. Charlotte has Bank of America Stadium and a Tepper Sports connection through the NFL's Panthers. None of those groups will pay less than $205 million, and if media rights land north of $60 million annually, the floor moves to $225 million or higher.
Haslam's deal also clarifies the NWSL's 2026 revenue split. Expansion fees are distributed to existing owners according to a formula that weights tenure and media-market rank. The 14 legacy clubs from 2024 take the largest share, while 2025 entrants Boston and San Francisco take smaller cuts. Atlanta's 2026 entry means it participates in the Columbus fee distribution but at a reduced percentage. That's worth roughly $8 million to $10 million per legacy club and $3 million to $5 million to newer entrants, depending on the exact formula, which the league hasn't published.
Columbus will start hiring a general manager and head coach in late 2026, according to two people familiar with the timeline. The club is expected to enter the 2027 NWSL Draft as an expansion participant, selecting from unprotected rosters, then build through the 2028 preseason. Haslam Sports Group runs a centralized front office for the Browns and Crew, and the NWSL club will plug into that structure. Dee Haslam, co-owner, will hold the principal owner title; she already chairs the Browns' charitable foundation and has signed NIL deals with women's college athletes through that vehicle.
The media-rights negotiation opens in June. The league has hired Octagon to run the process, and the firm has told bidders to prepare for a four-year or five-year term starting in 2028. CBS and ESPN have right-of-first-refusal clauses, but Amazon, Apple, and NBC have all taken meetings. The $60 million target assumes a mix of linear and streaming, with at least 30 matches per season on broadcast network windows. If that lands, franchise valuations move again, and the $205 million Columbus fee will look like a discount.
Watch for Phoenix and Detroit expansion announcements in late 2026, with fees likely landing between $210 million and $230 million. The league will want both deals closed before media-rights negotiations finish, which means bids are due by September. Haslam's Columbus deal just raised the price for everyone still shopping.