October 9 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) plans to expand to 20 teams and beyond, said commissioner Jessica Berman (pictured) on Thursday.

The league has 16 teams this season after Boston Legacy and Denver Summit joined. Atlanta and Columbus arrive in 2028, paying record fees of $165 million and $205 million respectively.

“We’re about to open our data room for teams 19 and 20 because we intend to continue expanding,” Berman told the Leaders Week London conference.

“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.”

The data room will give prospective owners access to the league’s finances. There is no deadline for awarding the next two franchises.

The growth in fees has been remarkable. Boston paid $53 million in 2023 and Denver $110 million in 2025. Columbus’s price is nearly four times Boston’s, three years later. The incoming Atlanta and Columbus groups are linked to the owners of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns.

For many, sustainability is the unknown.

Berman believes demand supports it. “I don’t think 20 is the max, I think 20 is the next touch point,” she said. “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.”

She pointed to the NFL, NBA and NHL, all with at least 30 teams. “Our country is the size of a continent,” she said. “It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it is our vision to be able to compete on a national basis.”

There are warning signs, though. Racing Louisville’s owners have looked for new investment amid talk of relocation, a reminder that not every existing club is thriving while new ones pay record prices. Expansion fees bring money in now, but each new team takes a share of future revenue.

Berman also dismissed concerns that expansion dilutes quality. “These players have just been training, playing and waiting for an opportunity to play in a professional league,” she said.

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