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Jessica Berman, commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, wants to expand the league further than the 18 teams planned for 2028.
Berman became commissioner of the NWSL in April 2022. During her inaugural season in charge, the league featured 12 teams. That number has increased to 16 and will feature 18 by 2028.
“We’re about to open our data room for teams 19 and 20 because we intend to keep expanding,” Berman said at the conference. “We’ve decided, given the scale of the league at this point, that we’ll make decision 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.”
Berman spoke this week at the Leaders Week Conference in London, England, saying that the door is open to potentially 20 teams in the NWSL.
During her tenure, the NWSL has welcomed the Utah Royals (2024), Bay FC (2024), Boston Legacy (2026) and Denver Summit FC (2026). Additionally, the league will feature Atlanta City FC and a yet-to-be-named team in Columbus, Ohio, in 2028.
The bid for expansion fees is on the rise, as well. In 2020, Angel City FC paid an expansion fee of $2 million and began play in 2022. Recently, the Boston Legacy’s expansion fee was listed at $53 million, then the Denver Summit shattered that record with a $110 million expansion fee.
Atlanta City FC furthered the mark with a $165 million expansion fee before the Columbus team posted a fee of $205 million — the new league record.
Berman said that, in order to continue growth of the NWSL, the league needs to further build on its presence in the United States.
“In order for us to really amalgamate audience and build on the foundation we’ve created in the last few years, we really need to scale our presence across communities in all of America,” Berman said at the conference.
“The Big Five are 30-plus teams, so there’s nothing that should stand in the way of the NWSL being that size,” Berman stated, noting the size of the National Football League (NFL, 32 teams), National Hockey League (NHL, 32 teams), Major League Baseball (MLB, 30 teams), National Basketball Association (NBA, 30 teams) and Major League Soccer (MLS, 30 teams). “It’s not going to happen tomorrow, but it is our vision to be able to compete on a national basis.”
While there is no indication of cities or teams vying for spots 19 and 20 in the NWSL, past interest has included Cincinnati and Cleveland.
