NWSL Commissioner Eyes 30-Team League: ‘No Reason We Can’t Be That Size'

By Barry Janoff

January 30, 2025: The NWSL continues its growth trajectory, naming Denver as its 16 franchise, to begin play in 2026.

The league expanded from 12 to 14 teams last season with Bay FC and the Utah Royals, as well as one extra home game per team.

BOS Nation FC in Boston is joining the league as its 15th franchise, also in 2026.

But the league seems not to be done when it comes to expansion, eying 30 clubs as a possible goal.

“Because of the approach we've taken with expansion we really have an opportunity to understand and assess the demand, and that demand is quite clear," league commissioner Jessica Berman said during a media conference call today in conjunction with the Denver reveal.

"We also know that we have a very large geographic footprint in our country, and that we occupy just a small slice of those (places) that really can and should have the opportunity to have professional women's soccer in their communities.”

Other cities involved in the most recent NWSL expansion talks included Cincinnati, Cleveland, Nashville and Philadelphia. (See full Denver expansion article here.)

Berman said league movers-and-shakers are not only assessing their own situation but looking at other pro leagues that are either undergoing or looking at expansion.

“We also have as a guidepost the other professional leagues, in particular the men’s leagues that are in and around 30 teams, and we see no reason we can’t be that size,” Berman said.

“How, when, and where we go will be a work in progress, and something that we’re discussing with our board, who, as you can imagine, are very ambitious and aggressive in their growth plans. We’ll continue to analyze what makes the most sense for the NWSL moving forward, and we’ll likely have more discussions and news to share sometime in 2025.”

The WNBA is also in the midst of expansion discussions. The league will add three teams in the next two seasons — Golden State Valkyries, Portland and Toronto Tempo — to bring the league to 15. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the WNBA is looking to add a 16th team by the 2028 season.

Among those seeking a WNBA franchise are Kansas City (MO), Nashville and Detroit.

A group in Detroit is led by investors including the owner of the NBA’s Pistons and owner of the NFL’s Lions.

In Nashville, a group includes football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and basketball licon Candace Parker (who both played at the University of Tennessee), former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam and country music stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The WNBA franchise would be called the Tennessee Summitt, in honor of the late Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt.

The six-team PWHL, now in its second season, is looking at a two-club expansion for the 2025-26 season.

The NWSL said it reached a “historic milestone in fan engagement” in 2024, surpassing two million attendees for the first time in its history. The San Diego Wave FC topped the league for the second consecutive season with an average of 19,575 per game.

The league said its new media deals — valued in excess of $240 million — give the NWSL four times the exposure it previously had.

In the second year of the four-year domestic media rights agreements, more than 120 matches will be distributed across media partners including CBS, ESPN, ABC, Amazon’s Prime Video, ION and NWSL+.

"How, when and wherever we go will be a work in progress, and something that we're discussing with our board, who, as you can imagine, are very ambitious and aggressive in their growth plans," said Berman.”

“So we'll continue to analyze what makes the most sense for the NWSL to move forward and likely have more more discussions and news to share sometime in 2025."

Mile High Match: Denver Gets 16th NWSL Franchise, Hits The Pitch in ’26

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