The National Women’s Soccer League will have 16 teams in 2026 as the league officially announced Denver as the next expansion franchise on Thursday. They’ll begin play alongside Boston as the newest clubs in NWSL. Boston has had the longest build-up as an expansion franchise after being announced in September 2023 with a reported $53 million expansion fee. With increased valuations across the board over the last few years, Denver’s fee is $110 million, according to Reuters, more than double the previous expansion price.
“As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base, and Denver is the perfect match,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement.
“The club’s plans for a purpose-built stadium and state-of-the-art training facility demonstrate a commitment to providing world-class environments for our players and fans alike. With this ownership group’s vision and dedication, we are confident that Denver NWSL will set new standards for excellence on and off the pitch, inspiring the next generation of players and supporters across the Rocky Mountain region.”
The newest ownership group includes investors at the local and national levels and is led by Rob Cohen and Project Level, a subsidiary of Ariel Investments led by Chairwoman Mellody Hobson. Cohen will serve as the club’s controlling owner and governor with Hobson as Denver NWSL’s alternate governor.
“Denver is one of the best sports cities in the United States and we are thrilled to bring professional women’s soccer to Colorado,” said Cohen in a statement. “We believe that bringing NWSL to Denver will be impactful and transformative. Our goal is to work closely with Denver’s diverse communities to build a club that will operate with integrity and excellence from day one. We look forward to collaborating with our community to make Denver NWSL an inclusive and special club that all of Colorado can rally behind.”
Cohen was enticed to the Denver NWSL project through the community initiative “For Denver FC,” the grassroots faction led by former NWSL player and analyst Jordan Angeli, Tom Dunmore, Nicole Glaros, and Ben Hubbard, and they initially engaged Cohen in the long-term vision of women’s professional soccer in the Mile High City. Denver NWSL plans to collaborate with the group to engage the local community to build its supporter base.
The ownership also features former Washington Commanders President Jason Wright, and FirstTracks Sports Ventures LLC (FTSV) led by siblings Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Moritz, Neelima Joshi and Dhiren Jhaveri and Molly Coors. The entire owners collective is finalizing plans to build a purpose-built stadium and performance facility for the team. Denver NWSL will unveil the plans at a later time. The franchise will also announce its team name, brand, crest, and colors at a later date.
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