COLUMBUS, OHIO — The National Women's Soccer League awarded an expansion franchise to Columbus, Ohio, to an ownership consortium led by the Haslam Sports Group, which will pay a $205 million expansion fee. The team will begin play in 2028.

The Columbus franchise will join an Atlanta team also set to debut in 2028, bringing the NWSL to 18 teams. Atlanta was awarded team No. 17 in late 2025 and paid a $165 million expansion fee. The league has expanded from 10 teams in 2021, with expansion fees rising from $2 million to $205 million over that span.

The Columbus team will play at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in downtown Columbus, the home of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. The venue will be renovated ahead of the 2028 season to add a custom locker room for the NWSL team. The team's name and branding remain a work in progress.

The ownership group plans to build a training facility on the southwest side of Columbus and is expected to invest around $300 million initially between the expansion fee and infrastructure. The infrastructure plans include $50 million in government funding: $25 million from the city and $25 million from Franklin County. The Columbus City Council approved its share in a split vote after a public meeting.

The training site will be located at a park previously designated by the city for renovation for adaptive use in an underserved neighborhood. The Haslam Sports Group will contribute $3 million to the city's effort to find a replacement location for the park.

"It's a great opportunity, and the timing was right to invest further," HSG managing partner Whitney Haslam Johnson said. "Public-private partnerships are really important. We are one of 18 teams in the NWSL, and that's a highly competitive process."

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman pointed to public backing as a factor in evaluating bids. "The evidence of public support is a really important litmus test and proxy," Berman said. "I think it's worth noting as we think about public-private partnership that it has been for decades that communities and the public have invested in men's teams. We believe that that is an important piece, if you look back at history, of what has made men's teams successful in this country."

The Haslam Sports Group also owns the Columbus Crew and the NFL's Cleveland Browns, has a controlling interest in the Milwaukee Bucks, and has invested in the WNBA. The Columbus ownership group also includes the family of Dr. Pete Edwards, who has a minority stake in the Crew and recently acquired more shares from HSG, as well as the Columbus-based insurance company Nationwide.

Columbus is the 35th-largest television market in the U.S. and has a history of local support for the Crew and U.S. national team games. Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC played their inaugural NWSL matches last month, opening the league's 16-team era, with each club playing in temporary venues while awaiting long-term stadiums.