The National Womens Soccer League (NWSL) is awarding its 17th franchise to Atlanta, which will join the league for a record expansion fee of $165 million, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with The Athletic on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. It will be the first expansion team since Denver Summit FC was announced earlier this year.
The Atlanta club will be owned and operated by Arthur Blanks AMB Sports + Entertainment, the holding company of the NFLs Atlanta Falcons, MLS Atlanta United FC and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the new team will play its home matches. The team is expected to debut sometime after the 2026 season. Blank is set to hold an event on Tuesday.
The NWSL declined to comment, and AMB Sports + Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Blank also owns the PGA TOUR Superstore and the Atlanta Drive Golf Club, the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-led tech-forward TGL golf league. The 83-year-old was a co-founder of Home Depot and is the chairman of The Arthur Blank Family Foundation.
The move signals the return of professional womens soccer to the Georgia city. The Atlanta Beat were part of the two previous leagues in the U.S.: WUSA from 2001-2003 and WPS from 2010-2012.
Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but the reported $165 million fee is over 50 percent more than the $110 million Denver paid in January. The other recent expansion teams, Bay FC and Boston Legacy, paid around $53 million.
The move solidifies Atlantas growing presence in American soccer.
The area is the future home of the U.S. Soccer Federation, which is relocating its headquarters and national training center to Fayette County, Georgia by 2026. The new facility, backed by Blank and his familys foundation, is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in time for the FIFA mens World Cup next summer.
Atlanta has been on top of the list of potential NWSL cities for some time. Two years ago, Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted the SheBelieves Cup in front of over 50,000 fans. Before the match, U.S. womens national team player Sam Coffey told reporters that Atlanta would be a great place to bring an NWSL team.
I think it would be a great market for one with Atlanta United here and now with U.S. Soccer starting to plant some roots here, she told reporters ahead of the USWNTs clash against Japan in April 2024. I think it could do really well here.
Team name, crest, and colors will be unveiled at a later date.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women’s national team, Atlanta United FC, NWSL, Women’s Soccer
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