The National Women's Soccer League awarded its eighteenth franchise to Columbus on Monday for an expansion fee of $205 million, the highest in women's professional sports history. Haslam Sports Group—owners of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew—will field the team starting in 2028.
The deal arrives five weeks after Boston and Denver began play as the league's fifteenth and sixteenth teams, each paying roughly $80 million to enter. Atlanta committed $165 million in November for the seventeenth slot but structured the payment across milestones tied to the next franchise sale. Columbus's $205 million triggers Atlanta's full obligation, delivering the league $370 million in expansion capital across two ownership groups that have never fielded a women's professional team.
The gap between Denver's $80 million last September and Columbus's $205 million now represents the steepest valuation climb in NWSL's fourteen-year existence. The league's previous high was $53 million for Bay FC in 2023. Four bidding groups competed for Columbus, according to people familiar with the process. Haslam Sports Group prevailed with a cash offer and stadium commitments that included Field, the downtown venue currently hosting the Crew, as the interim home through at least 2029. The ownership group has discussed building a separate facility for the women's team but has not committed capital or a site.
The $205 million fee establishes a new floor for NWSL expansion at a moment when private equity firms and family offices are circling women's sports assets. Michele Kang paid $35 million for the Washington Spirit in 2022, then spent $300 million across three clubs in Lyon, London, and Washington. The league's existing owners now hold equity stakes that reset to the Columbus valuation, meaning teams purchased for $2 million in 2019 now carry implied marks above $200 million before stadium or broadcast considerations.
The fee also validates commissioner Jessica Berman's decision to slow expansion after approving five teams in eighteen months. The league held no formal bidding process between Atlanta's November award and Columbus's April announcement, allowing demand to compound. Ten ownership groups submitted preliminary interest packets for the eighteenth slot, a league record. The $125 million jump from Atlanta to Columbus suggests the scarcity premium is durable.
Haslam Sports Group brings institutional complexity and political exposure. The Browns are under DOJ investigation for alleged workplace misconduct; quarterback Deshaun Watson's $230 million guaranteed contract remains the most scrutinized deal in NFL history. The Crew won MLS Cup in December but average 14,837 fans per match, below league median. The NWSL will now rely on the same executive team to build a women's franchise from scratch while managing overlapping sponsor conflicts and stadium availability windows.
Columbus's roster will be assembled through an expansion draft in late 2027, with protected player lists due from existing teams that November. The league has not yet determined whether Columbus will receive allocation money or draft capital beyond standard expansion protocols. Haslam Sports Group has six months to name a general manager and eighteen months to finalize a stadium lease or construction timeline.
The $205 million also clarifies the league's next ownership targets. Phoenix and Salt Lake City have both submitted expansion interest, but neither has cleared the $200 million threshold in preliminary conversations, according to people familiar with the league's review. The league is expected to announce its nineteenth and twentieth franchises by early 2027, with fees projected between $225 million and $250 million if the current trajectory holds.
Atlanta begins play in 2027. Columbus follows in 2028. The league will operate with seventeen teams for one season, then eighteen, compressing the playoff format and extending the schedule to thirty-four matches. Broadcast negotiations with CBS and ESPN expire after the 2027 season, meaning Columbus's first year will likely coincide with new media rights.
The Haslam family's net worth is estimated at $7.1 billion, derived primarily from Pilot Flying J truck stops and FirstEnergy equity. The group does not require outside capital to fund the $205 million fee or stadium obligations, a qualification the league has required since San Diego Wave FC's ownership group restructured debt in 2024.
The takeaway
NWSL's **$205M** Columbus fee resets franchise valuations **156%** above Denver's September entry and guarantees Atlanta's deferred **$165M** payment.
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