"The NWSL has awarded an expansion team to Atlanta as its 17th franchise, sources confirmed to ESPN. The team will be owned by Arthur Blanks' AMB Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and MLS' Atlanta United FC. Both teams play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the NWSL team is expected to begin play in 2028. A spokesperson for Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment provided the following statement to ESPN:"
"The Athletic, which was the first to report the news, said that the expansion fee would be $165 million, up from the $110 million that Denver Summit FC paid less than a year ago. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed in September what ESPN reported in July, that the league would shift to rolling expansion rather than formal bidding processes. "Those conversations are ongoing," Berman said in September."
""Each of them has a different perspective on how much time they need to launch, the investments they need to make to be successful, including potentially around infrastructure, and we want to not force a square peg into a round hole." The NWSL will expand to 16 teams next year with the introduction of Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC. Atlanta and Blank have been part of the NWSL expansion conversation intermittently for nearly a decade, with many sources describing the market"
The NWSL awarded its 17th franchise to Atlanta under ownership of Arthur M. Blank's AMB Sports and Entertainment, with the team expected to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium beginning in 2028. Reported expansion terms include a $165 million fee, an increase from the $110 million paid by Denver Summit FC last year. The league is moving to a rolling expansion approach rather than formal bidding, allowing flexibility on timing and infrastructure investments. The NWSL will reach 16 teams next year with Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC. Atlanta has been considered for expansion intermittently for nearly a decade.
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