NWSL announces Columbus as league’s 18th team, with reported $205m fee

• Team is scheduled to start play in 2028

• Previous high expansion fee was $165m, paid by Atlanta

Columbus, Ohio will be the home of the NWSL’s next expansion team, the league and team ownership announced on Tuesday.

The 18th team in the top US women’s professional soccer league will be owned by the same consortium that runs the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. That collection of owners is led by Haslam Sports Group (HSG), which also owns the Cleveland Browns of the NFL and a stake in the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.