When the National Women's Soccer League kicked off in 2013 with eight teams, few could have predicted the trajectory that would follow: a decade later, the league would be on track to double in size. In May 2023, NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman announced the league's bold expansion plan to reach 16 teams by 2026—a transformation that signals professional women's soccer in the United States has moved from experimental venture to sustainable enterprise.
The numbers tell a striking story. From 2013 to 2024, the NWSL grew from 8 teams to 14, with two more approved for 2025 and the final two arriving in 2026. This wasn't a straight line upward—the league contracted to 9 teams in 2018 before beginning its steady climb—but the overall arc points unmistakably toward growth. What began as a replacement for two failed women's professional leagues (the Women's United Soccer Association, which folded in 2003, and Women's Professional Soccer, which shut down in 2011) has now become the foundation for a thriving professional ecosystem.
The expansion strategy reveals something deeper about how women's soccer has matured in America. Four of the original eight teams came from the defunct WPS league, representing institutional continuity. But alongside those transitions came genuinely new franchises: Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Washington Spirit, and FC Kansas City—clubs built from scratch with long-term visions. That mix of stability and innovation has repeated itself through each expansion wave. Houston Dash launched in 2014. Orlando Pride and North Carolina Courage followed, with North Carolina acquiring the assets of the relocated Western New York Flash. Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave FC, and Angel City FC each brought fresh ownership groups and community investment to their markets.
The involvement of Major League Soccer owners has been crucial to this expansion. Five current NWSL ownership groups also operate men's teams in the MLS or USL, providing financial stability and operational expertise. Houston Dynamo's ownership brought resources to the Dash. Orlando City SC's owners did the same for Orlando Pride. Most recently, Seattle Sounders' ownership took over Seattle Reign FC in 2024, signaling confidence from established soccer investors that women's soccer is no longer a side project but a core business.
Yet the story isn't without complications. Utah Royals FC, which launched in 2018 as a replacement for the folded FC Kansas City, dissolved in 2020 after allegations of racist comments by owner Dell Loy Hansen—a moment that prompted investigation by both MLS and the NWSL. The league has since worked to ensure governance standards that prevent such failures. Now Utah's assets are being reconstituted as a new expansion team for 2024, suggesting a commitment to learning from past stumbles.
By 2026, when the 16th team takes the field, the NWSL will have more than doubled from its founding size. That growth reflects not just expansion franchises but also the durability of the original eight, each now embedded in their communities with loyal fans and institutional staying power. What was once an experiment in professional women's soccer has become a model that works—one that other nations are watching closely as they consider their own investment in the women's game.