The National Women's Soccer League awarded its fifteenth franchise to Columbus, Ohio for $205 million, with the Haslam Sports Group—owners of the NFL's Cleveland Browns and MLS's Columbus Crew—writing the check. The team begins play in 2028. The fee is the highest in women's soccer history and represents a 71% premium over the $120 million Boston paid in October 2023.
The Haslams now control three professional franchises across two cities and two leagues. Jimmy Haslam bought the Browns for $1 billion in 2012, then added the Crew for $230 million in 2018 after blocking the team's planned Austin relocation. The NWSL franchise slots between those assets geographically—Columbus versus Cleveland—and structurally, given MLS's current $500-600 million expansion valuations. The group will share front-office infrastructure with the Crew, including stadium operations at Lower.com Field, though NWSL sources indicate Columbus is negotiating for a separate 8,000-seat soccer-specific venue downtown.
The $205 million fee matters because it resets the floor for the league's next expansion cycle. The NWSL has committed to sixteen franchises by 2026, meaning one slot remains. Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia are known bidders. Sources close to two ownership groups say they were modeling $150-175 million bids before Columbus closed. Now the ask is closer to $220 million, with the league citing media-rights momentum—the $240 million four-year CBS/ESPN/Prime Video deal signed in November 2023 runs through 2027, and renewal talks are expected to open this fall. One team president called the Columbus premium "a tax on being late," noting that Utah paid $2 million in 2017 and San Diego paid $50 million in 2022.
The Haslams bring sponsorship density the league needs. The Browns carry thirty-two corporate partners, including Bridgestone, Bose, and FirstEnergy, all of which have women's sports activation budgets. The Crew added six new sponsors in 2023 after winning MLS Cup, including Nationwide and Acura. NWSL clubs currently average fourteen corporate partnerships, per league data, and commissioner Jessica Berman has said publicly the target is twenty by 2027. The Haslams also control stadium naming rights at Lower.com Field through 2031, creating optionality for a women's soccer-specific naming deal if the new venue materializes.
The 2028 launch timeline is unusual. Most recent NWSL expansions went live within eighteen months of announcement. Columbus requested the delay to secure a dedicated facility and complete stadium district development near the Scioto Mile. The league granted it because the Haslams paid cash at closing, not installments, according to two people familiar with the transaction. That liquidity matters for the NWSL's balance sheet as it negotiates next-generation media rights and contemplates private equity stakes, both expected to accelerate in 2025.
Watch for the league to announce the sixteenth franchise by September 2025, likely timed to the CBS fall schedule launch. Commissioner Berman has said she wants "strategic clustering"—multiple teams in overlapping metro areas to drive regional rivalries and reduce travel costs. Cleveland and Cincinnati would give the NWSL three Ohio franchises within 140 miles, comparable to the Cascadia triangle in MLS. Philadelphia would pair with New Jersey/New York and Washington. The Haslams' willingness to pay $205 million for a 2028 start suggests they expect the next bidder to pay more for a 2026 debut.