Report: NWSL in 'Advanced' Talks to Add Expansion Teams in Bay Area, Boston, Utah

The National Women's Soccer League is "in advanced discussions" to add three expansion franchises, according to Jessica Toonkel and Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal.

Boston, Utah and the San Francisco Bay Area are the three locations of the new clubs. Utah and the Bay Area teams will begin play in 2024, with Boston's club set to debut at a later date, per Toonkel and Bachman.

The San Francisco and Boston ownership groups have each agreed to pay a record-setting $50 million expansion fee. The Utah ownership group will pay between $2 million and $5 million, a rate which was previously agreed upon, according to Toonkel and Bachman.

An NWSL spokesperson wouldn't confirm the report but stated the league remains "engaged in our expansion process and are excited about our prospects."

Boston's all-female investment group includes Jennifer Epstein, the daughter of Boston Celtics co-owner Robert Epstein, and San Francisco's investment group includes former United States women's national team stars Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Leslie Osborne and Danielle Slaton.

Boston previously had an NWSL franchise, known as the Boston Breakers, from 2013 through 2018. The roster boasted some of the best players in all of women's soccer, including Heather O'Reilly, Sydney Leroux and Rose Lavelle.

However, the Breakers eventually folded in January 2018 after failed attempts to sell the club.

Utah also previously had an NWSL club from 2018-2020, known as the Utah Royals. The team folded in December 2020, transferred to Kansas City and are now known as the Kansas City Current.

When the team was transferred, NWSL leaders previously agreed a franchise could return to Utah at some point down the road for a set fee.

While the San Francisco Bay Area has never had an NWSL club, the region has previously been home to the San Jose CyberRays, of the long-defunct WUSA, and FC Gold Pride, part of the WPS league that folded in 2012. The new NWSL team will join the two other California-based franchises—San Diego Wave FC and Angel City FC, which is based in Los Angeles.

The additions of clubs in Boston, San Francisco and Utah will see the league expand from 12 to 15 teams.

Angel City and the Wave made their NWSL debuts during the 2022 season and were among the most popular teams in the league. Angel City drew in more than 19,000 fans per game, and San Diego set the NWSL attendance record with 32,000 fans for a match against Angel City in September.

The NWSL, which will begin its 11th season in March, can only hope their latest expansion franchises will be as successful.