What We Know About The 2024 NWSL Expansion

August 24, 2022
By Kayleigh Toney

The National Women’s Soccer League has come a long way since the league began play in 2013. The league started with just eight teams, and while only five of those teams are still in operation, there are currently 12 total teams in the league. It’s by far the longest-running professional women’s soccer league in the United States, with the 2022 season being the historic 10th season. Now, they’re looking to a 2024 NWSL expansion.

Jessica Bermann has only been the NWSL commissioner for a few months, but she’s already made it clear that the league will look to add two new teams in 2024, bringing the total to 14. We’ll have to wait a little bit to see a new team step on the field as an expansion for next season is entirely off the table, but it’s an exciting time to be a fan of the league.

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Potential Cities

2024 NWSL expansion has been a hot topic, with more investors than ever before interested in bringing a club to their cities. While there aren’t any cities confirmed, there is some speculation.

Grant Wahl reported that MLS ownerships in Atlanta, Austin, Cincinnati, Salt Lake, and Toronto all have strong bids. Additionally, independent ownership groups in Columbus and San Francisco have strong bids.

The Athletic also reported that Nashville, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and Minnesota could be potential options as well.

It seems likely that Utah will be a choice for expansion, given that when the Utah Royals were sold, there was the stipulation that the ownership group could bring the NWSL back to Salt Lake City.

Many of these cities could be great options for the league. But, we’ll have to see which ones actually go through the bidding process.

Following the Success of California

This season the league added two new teams in California, the San Diego Wave and Angel City FC. Both of these clubs have found tremendous success in growing their fan base while also being successful on the field.

Both teams have started their inaugural season with great crowds at home. Additionally, both teams are in playoff contention, which would be huge for two brand new teams.

It has been a long time coming to bring professional women’s soccer to California. If the league can replicate the success of the California teams, it’ll be great for the league as a whole.

Expansion for the league is important, and it’ll be exciting to see which teams take the field in 2024.

Featured image via Getty Images