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Jeff Kassouf
The NWSL has confirmed plans to add Atlanta as its 17th franchise, according to multiple sources.
This new team will be owned by Arthur Blank’s AMB Sports and Entertainment, which also manages the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United FC. All three teams will share Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the NWSL team is projected to begin play in 2028.
An AMB Sports and Entertainment spokesperson shared this statement with ESPN:
“We have engaged in productive discussions with the NWSL and its stakeholders regarding the potential for an expansion franchise in Atlanta. While we have no official announcement at this time, those conversations are ongoing.”
The NWSL chose not to comment on the matter.
The Athletic was the first outlet to report the development, indicating that the expansion fee will be $165 million, an increase from the $110 million Denver Summit FC contributed less than a year ago. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed in September that the league would transition to a rolling expansion model rather than traditional bidding processes.
“These discussions are ongoing,” Berman noted at the time. “Each group has a unique viewpoint on their timeline for launching, the investments necessary for success, including potential infrastructure considerations, and we want to ensure a good fit for everyone involved.”
Next year, the NWSL will expand to 16 teams with the addition of Boston Legacy FC and Denver. Berman has emphasized that the NWSL has the potential to expand to as many as 32 teams, resembling the NFL structure.
Atlanta and Blank have been intermittently involved in NWSL expansion discussions for nearly ten years, with many insiders suggesting it was always a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Blank would join the league.
The city previously hosted professional women’s soccer through the Atlanta Beat, which competed in WUSA from 2001 to 2003 and in WPS during 2010 and 2011. During its WPS tenure, the Beat collaborated with Kennesaw State University to build its own stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
According to Nielsen data, Atlanta ranks as the seventh-largest TV media market.
Since its debut in 2017, Atlanta United has thrived in MLS, clinching a championship the following year and leading MLS in attendance every season after its launch (excluding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic), boasting an average of over 40,000 fans per game.
Additionally, Atlanta is poised to become the new headquarters for U.S. Soccer next year, a project supported by Blank’s $50 million donation.
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.