NWSL looking to expand to at least 20 teams, says commissioner Jessica Berman

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is looking to expand to 20 teams and beyond, according to commissioner Jessica Berman.
The league has 16 teams for the ongoing 2026 season, with Atlanta and Columbus set to join in 2028 for record expansion fees of $165million and $205m respectively. Berman, 49, said there was no fixed deadline for awarding the next two franchises.
“We’re about to open our data room for teams 19 and 20 because we intend to continue expanding,” Berman said Thursday at 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.
“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 financial data room will allow prospective investors to examine the league’s economic situation before deciding whether to pursue an expansion franchise.
Boston Legacy and Denver Summit joined the NWSL this season, increasing the league from 14 to 16 teams, while the incoming Atlanta and Columbus franchises are backed by ownership groups associated with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns respectively.
The increase in expansion fees has also coincided with questions over the future of existing clubs, including Racing Louisville, whose ownership has explored additional investment amid speculation about a potential relocation, but Berman said interest from investors remained strong.
“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.”
Berman pointed to the geographical size of the United States and the nation’s established professional sports leagues — including the NFL, NBA and NHL, which each have at least 30 franchises — as reasons for further expansion.
“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. In order for us to do that, we need to have a presence across the country.”
Berman, who has been NWSL commissioner since 2022, also rejected concerns that expansion could dilute the league’s playing standards, saying the increase in the number of teams had not affected the quality of competition.
“These players have just been training, playing and waiting for an opportunity to play in a professional league,” she said. “We’re excited to build the scale that gives more players that opportunity.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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