NWSL targets further expansion as investor process prepares to open
The NWSL is preparing to open financial information to prospective investors for its next two expansion teams, while commissioner Jessica Berman has called for closer coordination over the growing women’s football calendar.
The National Women’s Soccer League is preparing to begin its next expansion investment process, with commissioner Jessica Berman identifying 20 teams as the next milestone rather than a ceiling for growth.The US league currently has 16 clubs, following the arrival of Boston Legacy and Denver Summit this season, with Atlanta and Columbus scheduled to join in 2028 after agreeing expansion fees of US$165m and US$205m respectively.Speaking at Leaders Week London, Berman said: “We’re about to open our data room for teams 19 and 20 because we intend to continue expanding. We’ve decided, given the scale of the league at this point, that we’ll make decisions when we feel like the market is ready to come in.“We want to get through the season, update all that financial information and put our best foot forward because there’s a lot of great stories to tell from a business and financial perspective.”The data room will allow prospective ownership groups to examine the league’s financial position before deciding whether to pursue a franchise, with no fixed deadline for awarding the next two places.Atlanta and Columbus will bring ownership groups associated with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns into the competition, extending the involvement of established US sports investors in women’s football.Berman commented: “I don’t think 20 is the max, I think 20 is the next touch point. Anytime we look at expansion, we evaluate the supply-demand dynamic and make sure that demand continues to be high, and that certainly is the case today.”Her comments come as rising entry fees coincide with investment questions at existing clubs, including Racing Louisville, whose owners have explored additional funding amid speculation about a possible relocation.Berman linked the longer-term expansion strategy to the geographical scale of the United States and the nationwide presence of other major professional leagues.Berman continued: “Our country is the size of a continent. It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it is our vision to be able to compete on a national basis. In order for us to do that, we need to have a presence across the country.”Alongside domestic expansion, she called for tournament organisers to coordinate more closely as new international competitions increase demands on players.FIFA’s inaugural Women’s Club World Cup is scheduled for January 2028, during the NWSL’s close season but midway through the European domestic calendar and six months after the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.Berman added: “I think this next phase of growth really requires a ton of communication and collaboration between the different stakeholders, or tournament organisers, because we’re all leveraging the same players for these different tournaments.“And we must communicate to make sure that we’re optimising for their performance in a way that allows for us all to have the longevity and sustainability that we’re looking to achieve.”FIFA has not announced the Club World Cup’s host, although reports of talks with the United States prompted Berman to acknowledge the potential commercial and audience benefits for the NWSL.Berman concluded: “I think I’d want to hear more about what the plans would be, but certainly with that exposure there could be benefits for our league and so we’ll continue to be available to discuss opportunities that might exist in our market.”