NWSL Valuations Smash Records as Columbus Lands $205 Million Expansion Franchise

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has awarded its 18th franchise to Columbus, Ohio, for a staggering $205 million expansion fee. The club, backed by a consortium led by the Haslam Sports Group—owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and MLS's Columbus Crew—is slated to debut in 2028. The team will play its home matches at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, cementing Columbus as a premier hub for American soccer.[1][2][4][5]

The $205 million price tag shatters the league's previous valuation record, set just five months prior when Arthur Blank's AMB Sports and Entertainment paid $165 million for the rights to an Atlanta franchise. Atlanta's team, which will also debut in 2028, will share Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the NFL's Falcons and MLS's Atlanta United, further integrating women's soccer into the city's premier sporting infrastructure.[1][3]

The financial leap over the past half-decade is staggering. Just five years ago, ownership groups in San Diego and Los Angeles paid roughly $2 million apiece to enter the league. The 10,000 percent increase in expansion fees proves that investing in women's athletics has transitioned from a goodwill initiative into a highly lucrative, fiercely competitive business model.[1][2]

This unprecedented commercial momentum arrives amid a historic 2026 season for the NWSL. The league recently welcomed two new clubs to the pitch—the Boston Legacy and the Denver Summit. The appetite for women's professional soccer was immediately apparent, as Denver broke the league's single-match attendance record during its inaugural home opener in March.[4][7]

Behind the skyrocketing franchise fees is a rapidly expanding audience. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has overseen a period of extraordinary growth, with league broadcasts delivering a 22 percent year-over-year increase in linear viewership in 2025. Notably, viewership among women aged 18 to 34 surged by 30 percent, driven by lucrative new media rights deals and the success of free ad-supported streaming platforms.[1]

Crucially, the financial boom is translating directly into player empowerment. The league is currently operating under a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that runs through 2030. The agreement fundamentally reshaped the league's labor dynamics by eliminating the college draft, granting incoming players immediate free agency upon entering the professional ranks.[7]

This structural shift means that expansion teams like Boston and Denver are building their rosters through a modern free-agency market rather than traditional expansion drafts. To facilitate this, the NWSL provides new clubs with over $1 million in allocation money, allowing them to compete for top-tier talent and drive up player salaries across the board.[7]

The commitment from new ownership groups extends far beyond the initial entry fees. In Columbus, the Haslam-led consortium is expected to invest upwards of $300 million in total startup costs. This includes a $25 million public-private partnership, recently approved by the Columbus City Council, to construct a dedicated, state-of-the-art training facility for the women's team ahead of their 2028 debut.[2][4]

The NWSL's domestic surge mirrors a broader global boom in women's football. In February 2026, FIFA hosted the inaugural Women's Champions Cup in London, where European champions Arsenal Women FC defeated Brazil's SC Corinthians in front of record-breaking audiences. The success of these international club competitions is paving the way for the first-ever FIFA Women's Club World Cup, scheduled for 2028.[6]

With 18 teams now locked in, the NWSL shows no signs of slowing down. Commissioner Berman has publicly stated her ambition to eventually expand the league to 32 clubs, mirroring the structure of the NFL. As franchise valuations continue to climb and the league shifts to a rolling expansion process, the ceiling for women's professional soccer appears higher than ever.[1]