NWSL Getting Bigger—17th Franchise Coming to Atlanta in 2027 For Record $165M Expansion Fee
We have seen plenty of expansion in women’s sports, such as the WNBA; which will soon include teams playing for Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia. But now women’s soccer will also spread its dominion and influence to a new city. Sources confirm that the NWSL is getting bigger—the league’s 17th franchise is coming to Atlanta in 2027 for a record $165M expansion fee, backed by Atlanta Falcons & Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank. The team will play its home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
While this all may seem sudden, it is not. This expansion in ATL has been “coming down the pipeline” for some time. Yes, Atlanta will be the NWSL’s 17th team, adding to the league’s rapid expansion. However, Atlanta has been talked about as an NWSL market on and off for nearly a decade.
Furthermore, Atlanta having a women’s soccer team just makes sense. There’s been plenty of success there in the past and present. According to ESPN,
“The city was previously home to women’s professional soccer when the Atlanta Beat played there in WUSA from 2001 to 2003 and in WPS in 2010 and 2011. The WPS version of the Beat built a stadium for the team in Kennesaw, Georgia, in collaboration with Kennesaw State University.
Atlanta is the seventh-largest TV media market, per Nielsen data.
Atlanta United has been a major success for MLS since launching in 2017. The team won a championship the following year and has led MLS in attendance every season since launching (except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020), averaging over 40,000 fans per game.”
NWSL Getting Bigger—17th Franchise Coming to Atlanta in 2027 For Record $165M Expansion Fee
Nice. And the National Women’s Soccer League is not done. The NWSL will continue to expand. The league firmly believes that the NWSL can eventually be as big as the 32-team NFL, at least conceptually.
Nevertheless, only time will tell, but so far the numbers look very promising. Matches have set new attendance records, with a notable example being a Barcelona vs. Wolfsburg match in 2022 that drew 91,648 fans to Camp Nou. Championship game viewership increased by almost 20%. In the U.S. specifically, 13% of the population enjoys women’s soccer. Additionally, Nielsen Sports projects the global fanbase will exceed 800 million by 2030, potentially making it one of the top five most-followed sports globally. No wonder the league is expanding at rapid pace!
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